


Broken:       The Unyielding Beast

by ShadowAnn



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Violence, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Sexual Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-06-06 12:32:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 121,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6753913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowAnn/pseuds/ShadowAnn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Breaking the Beast: The Joker's Equal?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The smell of hot coffee was thick in the small diner. Ann sat staring out the window at nothing in particular as the rain drizzled outside. She had been coming here for the past month for no other reason other than to get out of the small apartment she was currently living in several blocks away. Because of the war between Joker and Batman, she had basically been forced to leave behind everything and everyone that she cared about. She kept in contact with her friends by making calls from local pay phones once a week. Since it had been about three months, she knew Bruce was keeping his distance, for the moment. She knew because if he had been looking for her he would have traced the calls by now.

Joker had been causing even more trouble than usual. With the mafia in his back pocket and the crooked cops on his leash, Gotham was practically his play ground. Lately he'd been more violent than ever, taking to one on one personal conflicts instead of his usual flashy and more destructive activities. Ann figured it was his anger at her disappearance that caused his transformation. Maybe a more personal approach helped him let off some of his frustration?

And Batman? He was nearly non-existent. He occasionally appeared to fight with Joker when he cooked up something unusually nasty or destructive. But all in all, he was like a ghost. Something else was obviously on his mind other than the Clown Prince of Crime.

The restaurant was dead today, with Ann being the only customer. The waitress walked by and refilled her cup for her with a smile. She was always smiling. Her name was Jasmine. She was really thin, close to about 110 or 115 pounds with long dark hair that she kept in a high ponytail.

Sitting in the corner booth across the room from her was a little girl. Ann was going on the assumption that it was Jasmine's little sister. The girl would come in every day after school and then wait for Jasmine to get off work at 5. She seemed a bit reserved for a girl her age. She looked to be about 10 or 11. She was cute, with short black hair that she either wore down to her shoulders or up in pig tails. But she seemed to be a bit jaded, even in her youth.

It was almost 5 when Jasmine's relief showed up. Her name was Lisa. She had short blonde hair and walked with a sashay that showed off her butt.

Ann was getting a strange feeling of unease as she watched Jasmine and her kid sister walk out of the diner, waiving goodbyes at Lisa. The feeling grew a bit stronger as she watched them disappear around the side of the building. Frowning, Ann left a few bills on the table to pay for the coffee before she walked out into the dreary rain.

Looking around, she saw no visible reason why her stomach was twisting into knots. She turned, annoyed with herself for being so jumpy, and started her walk back to her apartment, when a sudden scream and gunshot echoed around the nearby buildings.

Suddenly startled, Ann turned and ran in the direction of the noise. Sprinting around the small diner she found herself running through a back alley. At a cross section in the ally she skidded to a halt at seeing the sight before her. There was a man that appeared to be rifling through a purse, in search of cash. And at his feet lay an unconscious and severely bleeding Jasmine. Her little sister was huddled up against the wall of the alley crying.

Ann's shock quickly gave way to anger as the thug shouted at the little girl before pointing the gun at her.

Jumping into action, Ann ran forward, pulling her knife from her belt and hurling it at the thug, catching him in the shoulder as he fired the gun. The bullet hit the brick building a foot above the now screaming child. The thug turned just in time to receive a kick to the face and was knocked backwards. He went sprawling and Ann followed. She retrieved her knife from the man's shoulder before grasping him by his dirty hair and lifting his head off the ground. She raised the knife and pressed it into his throat. That's when he started begging. "Bastard. You deserve to die." She told him.

"Stop."

Ann jerked her hand slightly in surprise as she glanced at the little girl, earning more begging from the thug. Telling him to shut up she jerked on his hair then looked back at the girl. "You really think this creep deserves to live? Even after he almost killed you?" Ann asked. The girl's eyes were piercing. "No. He doesn't." She replied. "But living is harder."

Ann turned her attention back to the thug. "You should thank her. She's the reason your still alive." Ann told him before smashing his head into the pavement, knocking him unconscious.

An hour later Ann sat in the hospital waiting room, explaining what had happened to the police. The little girl, Ann now knew as Reign, was clinging to her arm. Jasmine was alive, but just barely. Apparently the thug jumped them in the alley and demanded her purse. But before she could give it to him he shot her. She must have twisted away as he pulled the trigger. The bullet entered her right side just below the ribs and exited under her left shoulder. They said she was lucky to be alive. She had to have emergency surgery to repair the damage that the bullet had caused and was expected to make a full recovery, but would need to be closely monitored in the ICU.

The police were about to leave when the Commissioner Gordon walked in. Sighing, Ann rolled her eyes mentally sighing to herself. Gordon was nice. Always willing to help. Always concerned for her safety. He was a good friend. But his naivety was an annoyance to have to circumvent. There were hardly any gray areas for him. Most everything was either black or white.

"I heard your name mentioned in the reports that came over the scanner. I came to make sure you were okay." He told her. "Great. If you can find me that easy then so can Batman and Joker." She told him, now more annoyed. He frowned at her. "Joker can't trace our scanners. And Batman is your friend, isn't he?" He asked. Ann rolled her eyes. "Wow. I knew you boys in blue were clueless. I just didn't realize how bad it was. Any idiot with 50 bucks in a pawn shop can pick up an out dated police scanner. And they pick up the radio frequencies just as good as the new ones." She stated. "And as for Batman. I guess you could call him my friend. But for personal reasons, I'm staying as far away from him as possible. His war with Joker is making my life insane." She told him. He sighed and leaned forward in his chair. "Sounds like Joker's still after you. He's the real problem. He's turned the city into a giant breeding ground for criminals. I never understood just what his interest was in you though." He said. Ann glared at him, mainly for insinuating that Joker was some kind of rodent that 'infested' things. "His interest in me doesn't matter. Just keep my name away from the press and off your police scanners." She told him. "I don't understand why your running from Batman though. He could help you Ann. He's probably the only one who can." Gordon told her. She crossed her arms. "Batman only makes everything worse." She told him.

It was silent for a few moments before either of them spoke again. "If we could just catch Joker, lock him up, your life would go back to normal." He told her. She scoffed. "My life has never been normal." He scooted forward a bit more. "But he's interested in you, Ann. He wants you for some reason. You could help us catch him. You could help us get rid of his madness." He explained, trying to convince her. Her mouth dropped slightly as she looked back at him. She stood, suddenly angry. "How dare you. I can't believe you would ask me to do something like that." She glared down at him. He looked shocked at her outburst, but he pulled himself together quickly. "I understand what a horrible thing it is to ask you to do this. It must have been terrible for you when you were his prisoner. But think of all the good that could come from helping us. You could keep the same thing from happening to someone else."

**He thinks your afraid of Joker.**

No. He thinks Joker traumatized me.

The sound of his sigh brought her back to reality. She gave a glance at Reign to see the child was giving her an inquisitive but suspicious look.

"I'm sorry Ann. I'm sorry I asked you to do that. But I'm running out of options here. I have to stop Joker. If you change your mind…" He looked up at her. She gave him a half smile. "You'll be the first person I call." She told him. He smiled at her before he stood. "I'll be right back. I'm just going to step into the bathroom a minute." He said slowly before walking to the nearby bathroom. He looked incredibly stressed out. He must have been really counting on her answer being yes.

Ann ran her fingers through her hair and sat back down next to Reign. The girl looked up at her. She hadn't said more than two words since they got to the hospital. Ann had been looking out for her until their parents showed up.

"Did the Joker really kidnap you?" She asked. Ann smiled at her. "Kind of." She told her. "But that's not the whole story is it." It wasn't a question. Ann sighed. "No. It's not." Ann replied.

"But you don't want that man to know about it, do you?" The girl asked. "Because he's a cop." Ann frowned. "Yeah." She really didn't know what else to say.

It was quiet a minute. "So where's your parents at anyways?" Ann asked. The girl's inquisitive face turned sad.

"That's a very good question." Ann turned to see a professional looking woman with brown curly hair pulled back in a loose bun. Reign instantly turned fearful and clung to Ann's arm. "Can I help you with something?" Ann asked the lady as she stood up.

"My name's Laura Eversteen. I'm a case worker for child welfare. Reign's parents were killed in a car accident a few years ago. Her sister Jasmine ran away with the girl. Illegally."

"She kept me away from you! I don't want a foster home! I want to stay with my sister!" The girl yelled from behind Ann, while still clinging to her arm. "Reign sweetie. Your sister can't take care of you. Just look what happened. You could have been killed because of her carelessness. Please don't make this hard. Just come with me." Reign glared at the woman and shook her head.

"I don't think she wants to go with you lady." Ann told the woman while at the same time staying where the woman couldn't reach Reign. Laura's demeanor turned sour. "Well she doesn't have a choice. It's the law." She said with her hands on her hips. "She needs a foster home with a responsible adult who can watch over her. Not another child trying to raise a child."

"I'm not going back to a foster home! Just leave us alone." Reign was practically in tears.

"She can stay with me." Ann told the woman. She wasn't sure what had come over her. She could barely take care of herself. But somehow she just couldn't stand to watch the woman drag the girl away.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. She needs to be put back into the system and anyone that wishes to be her foster parent will have to go through a thorough background check and credit history examination to be sure they will be a fit parent. I can't give children out to just anyone."

Commissioner Gordon took that moment to re-appear from around the corner. He'd probably heard everything. "It's alright Mrs. Eversteen. I'm sure under the circumstances you can let the girl stay with Miss Giovanni here. She's more than capable of taking care of the child. Her finances are 'very' well established."

The woman seemed to consider this a moment.

What the hell is wrong with me? Oh God, please say no….

"If you trust her, Commissioner, then I'm sure Reign will be okay. Temporarily, at least. But once your sister recovers, I'll have to take you both back to find you a real home." Her last sentence was directed at Reign.

Reign smiled. "In two months it won't matter. Jasmine will turn 18 and then she'll be my legal guardian." She stuck out her tongue, as if it would magically make the woman disappear.

The case worker ignored Reign's comment and began idly chatting with the Commissioner. Ann tuned out their conversation.

"I wanna meet him." Reign said suddenly where only Ann could hear. Ann gave her a look that showed she wasn't really okay with that. "I wanna meet both of them." She corrected herself. Ann felt her eyebrow twitch. "I'm not talking to either of them at the moment. And I'll explain why later." Ann told her. The girl crossed her arms with a small pout. "You'd better." The sight was so comical Ann laughed. It seemed like it had been forever since she had found anything funny enough to laugh at.

Several hours later Ann unlocked the doors to her apartment and flipped on the living room's lights. She glared at the off white walls, and the brown sofa, the ugly yellow carpet. She hated this place. Across from the sofa was her plasma tv and a book case that contained all her movies and several books. Along the wall next to the door were stacks of boxes. She still hadn't finished unpacking yet. Something in the back of her head told her that if she did she'd either have to pack it all up and move again, or she'd be stuck with the horrible place.

Stepping aside she allowed the little girl at her side to enter. Reign took a step into the room and looked around. She had a bag slung over her shoulder and carried a teddy bear with a big blue bow in her free hand. Ann had taken Reign back to where she lived with her sister to get some clothes and other essentials.

"I thought it would be nicer." The girl commented. Ann scowled. "Yeah. So did I. Don't worry, it's temporary." She told the girl. Ann shut the door and locked it before going to the spare room next to hers. There was an adjourning bathroom that connected the two rooms. "I guess this is your room." Ann told Reign. The girl walked in after her then jumped to lightly land on the bed. She giggled when it bounced her slightly. "This bed's better than the one I have." She commented with a smile. Ann suddenly realized just how under-privileged that the child must have been forced to live, with nothing but a waitresses' wages for two people to live on.

Ann was glad Misa had talked her into bringing the spare bed. Ann had initially refused, seeing as how she would have never needed it. Now, it seemed that it had a use after all.

"Well I'm glad you like it. It's yours now." She commented. The girl beamed up at her with a bright smile. Ann smirked at the child before going back to the living room. She pulled off her leather jacket and tossed it over a chair by the door. She flipped on the tv and was about to sit down to relax. "Why do you wear guns?" Reign's voice asked from behind her. Ann glanced over her shoulder at the girl then down at the pistol in her holster. "It's a precaution." Ann told her. "You carry the knife as a precaution too?" Reign asked. "Well it came in pretty handy today." Ann commented, looking down at her belt and the knife that the jacket had kept hidden.

Ann flopped down on the far end of the sofa and began flipping through channels. Reign crossed the room and sat next to her. "So what really happened between you and the Joker?" Reign asked after a few moments of silence. Ann closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Just the mention of him threatened to overtake her senses. "I kind of knew him before he was how he is now. I just didn't know it." Ann explained. The girl kicked her feet a few times, her heels hitting the sofa. "What about Batman? You know him because of the Joker?" Ann scowled. "Kind of. But not really. It's complicated." Ann explained. Another minute of silence. "So they both want to be your friend. And it makes your life hard because they fight. And you can't decide which one you like more. And even if you could, if you picked one you'd have to fight with the other one. So you ran away." Reign declared. Ann stared at her wide eyes, her mouth open in slight shock. Her shock turned into annoyance. "How did you get so smart, Reign?" Ann asked. The girl smiled. "My mom used to ask me that." She explained. Ann smirked. "Can't imagine why." She replied a bit sarcastically. The girl huffed in response.

It was silent for a good ten minutes before the girl spoke again. "So what's the plan if one of them shows up?" She asked. Ann had almost dozed off on the couch. She had to think through the haze in her mind for a minute. "Well. I don't really have one…" She trailed off. Reign's mouth dropped slightly. "You mean two of the most powerful and dangerous men in Gotham are out looking for you, and you don't even have a plan?" She asked in disbelief. Ann crossed her arms. "I don't really plan things. They just…. happen. I go with my instincts. It'll turn out okay. I'm more focused on making sure they DON'T find me- us." Ann explained.

It was silent for a good ten or fifteen minutes before she noticed Reign nodding off next to her. Ann smiled. "Hey. You've had a long day. And it's late. Why don't we hit the hay?" Ann said as she flipped off the tv. Reign yawned and stretched before she stood. Ann followed as the girl padded her way to her new bedroom. Leaning against the doorframe Ann watched the girl climb into her new bed and snuggled under the covers.

Ann woke first the next morning. Rolling out of bed and getting dressed she wandered into the living room and began rummaging through some of her boxes. She was looking for some of the board games that Duane had insisted she take to keep her entertained. Although she could hardly play a board game by herself. But Duane stopped by on occasion to play her at chess. And once in a while they would spar in her small living room. She didn't necessarily like the idea of him coming often, as someone could follow him to her. But she did enjoy seeing her friend.

Reign woke up several hours after Ann. She came stumbling into the living room rubbing her eyes and yawning. Ann didn't have much food in the apartment, but she managed to fix the two of them a bowl of ramen for breakfast. It was Saturday, so Ann turned on some cartoons for Reign to watch while Ann busied herself by cleaning her guns. Once it got closer to noon Ann announced that she was going to go get some groceries, since Reign would need to eat every day. And Ann simply didn't find it plausible to take her out to eat every time they were hungry. Mainly because if she ran into Joker or Bruce out on the street she had planned to run and lose them. But she wouldn't be able to do so if Reign was with her.

Ann chose to drive to a nearby Wal-Mart to get their groceries. She picked up mainly things that would be quick and easy. Some potatoes, eggs, milk, bacon, lunch meat, bread, and cheese and tv dinners. All the while asking Reign's opinion on which choices she would prefer. She also got some strawberry ice cream, yogurt, and of course Dr. Pepper. After their grocery shopping was over they picked out several movies that Reign would enjoy. And Ann bought her a few toys to play with. She noted that she was getting a bit low on cash. She would have to go to an ATM later.

Throughout the day Ann got to know the girl a bit better. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing board games and watching the movies they had picked out. Before long scrabble, Monopoly and checkers began to get a bit boring. So Ann suggested chess. She wasn't surprised when Reign confessed that she'd never learned how to play. So Ann began to teach her. This went on until Reign began to get sleepy and announced she was going to bed. Ann watched her drag her feet to her room. And after saying good night she did the same.

~Joker's POV~

"I said NO!" Misa yelled just before trying to slam the door for a second time. "I know you know where she is. I just want to talk to her…" He tried again.

I swear to the abyss, if it weren't for that promise….

"Damn it. She doesn't want to talk! She wants to be left alone. And I know exactly how she feels!" She slammed her heel into his toes. Yelping he jumped away from the door on his good foot, only to have the door slammed in his face. He glared at nothing for a moment before turning to walk away.

It was pointless. She'd disappeared a whole three months or more earlier. And no one would so much as tell him if she was even still in the city. And it was making him very annoyed. He literally had nothing. No clues. No credit card activity. No calls from her phone. He had the places she used to frequent under constant surveillance. Nothing. She had completely dropped off the grid. And it was making him insane.

He had decided to go a bit incognito today, opting for his leather trench coat and no face paint. Not that it really mattered. No one even really bothered anymore. Even Batman was hard to coax out of the hole that he hid in. Perhaps she had something to do with that too. She didn't understand. Everything was for her. Everything that had happened was all because of her.

In his mulling he realized he had randomly walked towards the Blondie's house. Perhaps it was time to harass her some more. She was the obvious weak link. But no matter the threats he sent her way or the random acts of violence, she wouldn't budge.

With a renewed sense of persistence he headed her way.

Within a half hour he had made it to the Ashley's apartment. He had just climbed the stairs and was about to knock when the door opened. Ashley's eyes went wide at seeing him in her doorway. "Joke- I mean Jak." She scowled immediately and glared his way. "What do you want now?" She asked in an annoyed voice. He leaned against the railing of the small porch. "You know very well what I want." He told her as he crossed his arms.

She stepped outside and closed and locked the door. "Well you can forget it. I've told you a billion times. I don't know where she is. No one does." She told him before walking down the stairs. He glared at her back and followed her.

"I know she keeps in contact with you. I just want a way to contact her. Just to talk. I'm not going to do anything crazy." He told her. She gave him a surprised look. "You? Do something crazy? No not you." She said sarcastically. "If I had her number. 'IF' I know you'd use it to try to trace her calls. Not call and talk to her. If you called her she'd just hang up. The only way to convince her of anything is to do it in person. I know her well enough for that. And I know you do too." She told him and continued walking down the block. "As far as I'm concerned you can shove off."

"What the hell does it take for you people to get it?! He yelled after her. "I'm not going to friggin hurt her or harass her or anything else like that. I just wanna know why the hell she disappeared!" He was beginning to lose his temper with the whole situation. The blonde whirled on him. "She left because of Y. O. U. It's your fault she's gone. You pushed her too damn far. She needs time 'away' from you. That's why she left. So leave her alone. If she wants to see you she'll find you. Now go away!" She yelled at him. Turning on her heel she kept walking.

No way. It doesn't end here.

He followed, determined to get any information he could, even if he had to wring it from her neck. Two seconds later she turned the corner of the next street. Just as he was about to follow he heard a slight 'oof'. He turned the corner just in time to see her land on her butt on the pavement.

"Ashley." The voice was almost a purr. "Fancy seeing you here." Ashley glared up at him. "Yeah. Bruce." She mocked his tone. "Fancy that." Joker's temper automatically flared. He glared over Ashley's shoulder as Bruce helped her to her feet. "Hmm, I just can't help but 'wonder' why you could possibly be here." She said in a mocking tone as she dusted herself off. So far Joker was being completely ignored. And it annoyed the piss out of him. "Well, now that you mention it. There was a little something I was hoping-" She cut him off. "Save it. I've already heard all the excuses and all the bribes and all the threats. I'm not telling you where she is! I wish the two of you would get it through you damn stubborn heads!" She yelled at him. He looked intrigued. "Two of us?" He asked. "Hmm, who ever do you mean?" She balled her hands into fists. She was just about to go off when Joker put his hand on her shoulder. She jumped. She had completely forgotten he was there.

"Now now, Ashley. You mustn't let imbeciles ruin your good mood." He said with distain. Bruce's glare was obvious. "Imbeciles?" Ashley asked astounded. "Your BOTH imbeciles. I've had it! Both of you leave me the hell alone!" She screamed before storming off. About ten seconds later she picked up on the fact that neither of them had followed, or even taken their eyes off the other. That's when she realized that Jak was Joker and Bruce was Batman and they both hated each other, and leaving them alone was not the best idea. She back tracked quickly.

"Something about you seems awfully familiar." Bruce commented. His tone was less than friendly. "I must have one of those faces." Joker answered casually taking a step forward. But his glare remained. "You must be one of Ann's 'friends'. Can't say she's ever mentioned you before." Bruce said slyly. "Well, you know her. Things tend to 'conveniently' slip her mind when she doesn't trust someone." Joker smiled.

Bruce looked like he was about to lose his cool. "Funny thing about trust-" Ashley jumped between them. "Oh look at the time. Were late. Let's go!" She said in a cheerful and entirely faked chipper voice as she pulled on Joker's arm. He shrugged her off. "No, I think Mr. Wayne was saying something. Don't be rude Ashley." He said in a reprimanding voice as he sent a glare Bruce's way. She sneered at him where only he could see. "We'd just 'hate' to give off a 'questionable' impression. Wouldn't we Jak?" She growled at him. He gave a huff and began to walk away. "Ah, Jak. That's right. I do remember her mentioning something about a pesky ex-boyfriend…" Bruce commented. Joker started to whirl on him but Ashley persisted in dragging him away as he glared over his shoulder.

"Now that you've got your way, what exactly are we late for?" Joker asked her sarcastically once they were around the corner. She glared at him. "A few minutes more and it would have been a friggin funeral." She snapped at him. "Best place to find a laugh." He mumbled. His sour mood had gotten even worse that he'd thought possible.

Obviously he wasn't the only one looking for her. Just like he figured. He'd better step up the search if he wanted to find her first.

He lagged back a bit, letting Ashley get a bit ahead of him, and waited for her to be distracted. At the first opportunity he slipped down a side ally and disappeared.

Once he made sure that troublesome pretty boy wasn't following him he trailed his way back to Ashley's apartment. As he climbed the stairs to the door he reminisced on the first time he had broken in. It was back when he had just met Ann. He had been curious. So he satisfied his curiosity. Then, just like now, all thoughts in his head eventually lead back to her.

He pulled out one of his knives and wedged it just under the latch between the door and its frame. Jamming the knife up plus pressure on the door and a slight jiggle and the door popped open.

After half an hour of going through all the paperwork in her apartment he gave up. There were no phone bills anywhere that he could find. Meaning she either had a paperless account or she got rid of them as soon as they were paid. With a scowl he left the apartment and headed back towards Misa's house. Hopefully she wasn't home.


	2. Chapter 2

Ann woke a bit later than she would have liked. She was supposed to be playing parent to the child in the other room and be cooking her breakfast or something. Groaning, she rolled out of bed and put on her usual attire. Instead of black jeans though, today she wore regular blue with a simple red tank top. Leaving her guns and knife on the table by the bed she stretched her arms while walking out of the room.

Something wasn't quite right. She smelled food. Looking to the kitchen she saw a plate covered by a towel. Next to it was a note. She wandered to the table and uncovered the plate as she picked up the note. Grabbing a piece of bacon she read it.

~Ann

I've gone to visit my sister. I wanted to see how she was today. Also, I decided to pick up a few things from our apartment. Please don't worry. I won't be gone long.

Reign

She crunched on the bacon, a hint of annoyance working its way up in her throat.

Looks like the kids going to be trouble.

**Better go find her.**

Well it is the perfect opportunity to get some cash. And its bout time I called someone to check in anyways.

Sighing in annoyance she went to her room and retrieved her effects. After covering her weapons with her leather blazer she found the keys to her motorcycle.

And it's about damn time I took a ride.

Grabbing her helmet she strode outside and locked her door, now in a better mood thanks to the thought of driving her bike all the way across town to Saint Francis hospital.

~Bruce POV~

Bruce sat at his computer, in his cave, mindlessly typing away. He had only decided to start looking for Ann a week before. He had originally decided to give her some time to process what had happened between them. Maybe let her have some space. He was sure that she would resurface soon enough. But after a whole three months he wasn't so sure anymore. At least now he knew Joker hadn't kidnapped her again, as he was pretty sure the madman was looking for her as well. Meaning he needed to find her before he did and tried manipulating and twisting everything to his own designs.

After trying his luck with Ashley, and running into a walking disaster area, he decided on a more direct approach. He knew he wouldn't get anywhere with asking nicely. And, as Ashley had implied, she had already heard all the bribes and threats. So now he knew that wouldn't work. Not that he would stoop so low anyway.

It had taken him less than an hour to hack into both Misa's and Ashley's phone records. After cross referencing that with public pay phones and any other incoming call that wasn't residential and comparing the two phone records he had a list of places she had most likely called from. Problem was she hadn't called more than once or twice from any of the numbers. And to make matters worse she hadn't called at all in the last week and a half.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. At least he knew she was ok now. He had initially been a bit worried about the whole 'knights' thing. He knew they were damn set on capturing her for themselves. But they hadn't surfaced since the last big and bloody battle. So it looked like, for the moment at least, they were leaving her alone.

The only thing left to do was wait for her to call.

~Joker's POV.

He had waited almost three hours for Misa to leave her house. He was sitting in the house across the street. Its owners, a Mr. and Mrs. Cagle, were securely gagged and tied on the floor across the room. He was getting severely impatient. But finally, an unsung hero appeared. He never thought he'd be so happy to see Maroni pull up in his car, presumably to take his girlfriend out to lunch. Joker, still dressed as Jak, groaned in relief when Misa came out to meet him and they finally drove away. He waited a few minutes to make sure they were gone before working his way across the street.

He glared at the solid looking oak door in front of him and then the dead bolt that definitively prevented him from shimmying the door open as he had done at Ashley's place. Looked like he was going to have to do it the old fashioned way. Taking a few steps back he launched his foot at the door in a front kick aimed for just above the bolt. The door moved a bit, but seemed sturdy. Another kick buckled the door in slightly. A third burst it open completely.

Hoping she didn't have a security system, he shut the door then began his ruthless barrage of the house. And he 'was' ruthless. He made sure to check everywhere. And he didn't bother being neat about it. Considering the stomp she had given his foot earlier that day, he called it even.

Ann's POV

She inhaled deeply at the fresh air that was coursing around her. Just like she was flying. She absolutely loved the feeling. 75 miles an hour on the freeway had significantly improved her mood. So far she'd got the bike up to 90 then backed off the throttle. She figured 90 was close enough to the edge for the moment. But knowing it would go even faster made her heart race. She went 75 today both for the posted speed limit, which was only 70, and for the fact that she was on a motorcycle, which was slightly more dangerous than in a car. Besides, she was in no hurry at all, and she wanted to make the feeling of freedom last as long as possible.

She had opted for the freeway for its obvious speed advantages. She honestly didn't feel like having to stop at a stop sign or a red light ever five minutes or less, even though it was shorter to cut strait through the city rather than skirt around it on the highway.

But as much as she would love to stay on the freeway, she eventually found her exit and slowed smoothly down the off ramp. Five more minutes as she was circling the outdoor covered parking lot looking for a suitable place to park. Since Reign's sister, Jasmine, was on the third floor, Ann chose a spot in the corner of the 3rd floor of the garage. Like usual she backed her bike into the spot so she could have a fairly quick getaway if necessary. She killed the engine and then slipped off her helmet and hung it on the bike's mirror. After making sure she put her keys in her pocket she headed to the parking lots bridge that joined it to the hospital.

Ann didn't like hospital's much. Something about the all too sterile smell made her uncomfortable. And not to mention the fact that most people died in hospitals. Well, they used to anyway. That all changed when Joker came along.

Contemplating her lot in life and how God must hate her she found her way back to Jasmine's room by memory. She thought about how Joker had blown up Gotham General, making Saint Francis the only other hospital in the city. She made a note never to bring that up to him. If he decided to take this one out too the entire city would be in a panic. Not that they weren't already, but the lack of a hospital definitely made her a bit uneasy. Every injured person would have to go clear to the next city with a hospital. She was unsure, but she thought the closest one was some 40 miles away. Looked like Gotham City liked its space.

She finally made it to Jasmine's room. She lightly knocked on the slightly ajar door and quietly pushed her way inside. She found Jasmine lying at a slight angle watching tv. Jasmine's face lit up at her appearance.

"It's you! Your our hero! You completely saved my life! Not to mention Reign." Jasmine commended her. Ann wasn't really used to the praise and thank the hero thing so she rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "Ya. I guess so." She replied before coming to have a seat next to the bed. "Any idea when they'll let you go?" Ann asked. Jasmine frowned, clearly annoyed by the subject. "They won't let me leave for at least another week! Can you believe it? It's absolutely ridiculous. They said I have to wait until my wounds are healed more. And then they tell me I shouldn't do any kind of work for a while." Ann felt sympathy for the woman. She knew exactly how she felt. She felt a slight twinge in her shoulder and rubbed the spot where Alexander's sword had pierced a hole clean through. She had healed fairly quickly, but it still bothered her from time to time. And it had left a pink puffy round scar.

Wincing visibly Ann let her sympathy show. "I know exactly how you feel." She commented. Jasmine smiled briefly. Suddenly her face lit up. "Oh, you must be here looking for Reign. You just missed her. She told me how you volunteered to look after her. I really can't thank you enough." Well at least she found out what she needed to know. "Oh that was no problem. I was a bit shocked to wake up and find her gone though." Ann commented looking out the window. "Ah, yeah. She does that sort of thing. She's really quite independent. She's smart too." Jasmine told her. Ann smirked. "Yes. She's smart alright." Ann replied. "I hope she's not too much trouble." Jasmine said worriedly. Ann shook her head. "She's no trouble at all. You just focus on getting better." She reassured the woman. Jasmine smiled.

A comfortable silence formed between them. Ann really did like the younger woman. She was a bit proud of her for taking on her younger sister the way she did. And through everything she was still all smiles. If only everyone could have an attitude like hers.

"Actually, since Reign isn't here, would you mind if I used your phone? I've kind of been hanging off the grid for a while and I need to check in with someone." Ann explained. "Ah, so your hiding from someone too?" It didn't occur to Ann that the woman probably knew exactly how the feeling was. Jasmine smiled. "Sure. Take all the time you need." Ann thanked her before making her way across the room to the phone. She dialed Ashley's cell phone first.

"Hello?" Came the inquisitive but perky voice. "Hey." Ann said simply. She held the phone away from her ear in preparation for the upcoming squeals and excited high pitched babble. She was glad she did. After a minute or two her blabber died down and Ann was finally able to talk. "How have things been?" "Oh my God! Jok- I mean 'Jak' will NOT leave me alone! He's been driving me absolutely crazy." She confessed. Ann pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ya, I figured that. What's he done now?" She asked with a sigh. "Well he almost got into a fight on the street with Bruce, who just so happened to show up when Jak was following me. Besides that he pays me a visit almost every day trying to bribe or threaten me. He's been making Devon work around the clock hoping I'll cave for some time with him. And, Ann, I think he broke into my apartment this morning."

 "What do you think he was looking for?" She asked. "I dunno. He didn't take anything." She confessed. "Probably just looking for information or something. Hah. Not like he'd find anything." Ashley commented smugly. Ann suppressed her urge to strangle something. "You mentioned he got in a fight with Bruce?" She asked. "Oh, no. I managed to pull him away before either of them lost it. Came pretty close though." She replied. Ann groaned. "When did Bruce start looking for me?" She asked. There was a moment of silence. "Well, today was the first time I've seen him since you left." She confessed. Ann nodded. "Okay. I'll call you later and we can try to figure something out. We need to do something about Jak." Ashley agreed and they hung up. Ann made sure she was specific in saying be careful.

Next up she needed to call Misa.

Bruce's POV

He still refused to leave the computer console. It was set to beep if there was any activity. At the moment he had fallen asleep in his chair with his feet propped up on the console and his head leaned back in the chair. A light tap on his shoulder woke him with a start and he nearly fell out of the chair. "Alfred? What-" Alfred laughed at his half sleep stupor before pointing to the screen. "It's been going off for about ten minutes now sir. I thought you might want a look." Shocked Bruce jumped to look at the monitor. He traced the number to Saint Francis Hospital. Room number 346. Leaping out of the chair he ran for garage. "The Lamborghini sir?" Alfred called after him. No reply. Of course he wouldn't take the Lamborghini. He'd be taking his bike.

Joker's POV

He had officially gone through every room in the house. He had literally torn the house completely apart. There was nowhere left to look. He even ripped open the couch and chairs just for good measure and thrown the stuffing around the house. Out of spite he took a giant wad of it and soaked it before stuffing it into the freezer. He felt slightly like a child throwing a temper tantrum. But he didn't care at the moment. It made him feel better. He was just about to go find more creative places to shove the stuffing when the phone rang. Curious he smoothly picked his way to the receiver, now grateful he hadn't thrown it somewhere in his rage. The caller ID told him it was calling from the hospital. If he decoded the number correctly it was room number… 346. Now more curious he picked up the phone but didn't say anything, hoping the caller would reveal themselves.

"Hello? Misa?" Ann's crystal clear voice struck him like a ton of bricks. He was speechless for a moment before he got his wits about him. Afraid she would hang up he purred into the receiver. "Hello precious."

Ann's POV

She was shocked. The second his voice purred to her through the phone her spine went rigid and shivers ran up her back. She forced herself to get over her shock quickly. "Jak. Does Misa know your ransacking her home?" She asked stoically. His laugh was like a drug. Her mind was threatening to shut down. "I'm sure she'll have a not so pleasant surprise when she comes home." His voice was like ice. "I've heard you've been making quite a fuss over me." She told him. She could hear the anger in his voice. "Can you blame a man? When his woman decides to disappear out of the blue after I'm hit in the head with a baseball bat by a bat?" He commented. "I told you perfectly clear why I was leaving last time I saw you." She shot back, anger rising in her tone. "I was hit with a bat, by a bat. Does that not concern you!" She sighed. "You were pinning me to the bed with my katana sheath while I was kicking and screaming. Not my fault they thought you were raping me." She heard something breakable crash through the phone. She winced. Poor Misa.

"Can you at least stop punishing Misa? She didn't cause any of this. You did." She told him. His laugh echoed through the phone. "Oh, no. No no no. See, ah, she stomped a heel in my toe this morning and this is my, ah, revenge." She was beginning to really get concerned. He wasn't talking to her like normal now. He was talking like she had heard him talk to his victims. Like she had heard over the radio and on tv. But never to her. She shook off the sudden scare and lashed back at him. "Look, you know why I'm mad. But I either figure out a way to get past your man crush on batman or you find a way to put me first for once. Those are the options. And until that happens, nothings changing."

It was silent and it put her on edge yet again. "See that's the thing though. You didn't just disappear after our fight…. No, you. You went back to that ba-t." She was afraid now. She would actually admit it at this point. But she covered quickly. "I didn't have anywhere else to go! You were in my friggin apartment! With your drunken self, slinging your left over pizza and your beer all over the place! You tell me. Hmm? Where else was there for me to go?" She was seething. All this was his fault! Why couldn't he just let her alone to clear it all up in her head?

It was silent for a moment again. "You could have stayed."

"No, Jak. I couldn't. Not if I wanted to keep at least a part of myself. You took all the choices away from me. You took all of me. Well I took it back. I have a right to be myself. And I don't care who you are or how much I care for you. I can't be me if your always trying to control me."

"Your right. It's too late to change you leaving. But you have to know, love. If you keep playing this game of hide and seek, eventually I WILL find you. I'm a man of my wor-d."

It was all too creepy. The way he was talking to her made her feel like the victim. A mouse in his game. He had to know he was scaring her. That's what he was trying to do. She told herself to stay calm. She could hear more stuff breaking in the background. An idea popped into her head. And if it worked, he'd start focusing on his idea of a game with her instead of focusing on how pissed off he was. She held the phone against her chest. "Do you have a cell phone?" She quickly whispered to Jasmine. She frowned and nodded pointing to a purse in the chair next to her. She mouthed a thank you before finding the phone in Jasmine's purse.

She dialed 911 on the other phone. "911. What's your emergency?" The operator asked in a professional voice. "Yes. I live at 2214 South Osage. And I think my neighbor is being robbed!" She told the woman. "I think it's the Joker. He's wearing a purple suit and make up. But I didn't get a good look at him." She told them in hushed tones. "Okay ma'am. The police are on their way, what's your neighbor's address?" The woman asked. "It's 2216 South Osage. Please hurry." She hung up the cell then went back Joker's phone.

"Jak, I know your angry with me. But if you feel that strongly about the whole thing, you should really do something about it. I told you what had to happen for me to come back to you."

"Oh, believe me gorgeous. I'll find you sooner than you think. And when I win your little game, you'll be, ah, 'begging me' all over again." Another shiver ran up her back and an all too familiar ache lodged itself in her groin.

She pulled herself together. She could panic once she was off the phone with him. "Well you better get started then 'sugar' cause you don't have much time before they get there…." She swooned. Silence. Did he already leave?

"They?" Came the slightly annoyed question. "Mmhmm. That's right. Oh, you can't hear the sirens yet? I think your slippin 'babe'."

A moment of slightly shocked silence.

"You didn't."

"Oh, I did."

"Minx."

And he was gone. The phone left off the hook. She hung up the phone and did a nervous pace in a circle around the room, trying to process what to do now. He was coming here. To find her. And she knew he knew where she was. Shit was an understatement.

But she relaxed slightly after a moment. He was at Misa's place. On the complete opposite end of town. And the cops would be hot on him for a bit. It'd be awhile before he got here. She ran her hands through her hair trying to think.

"Okay, here's the deal, Jas. Your probably going to get a visitor. And most likely he won't be all that happy. Try to get them to move you to a different room. If they won't then he'll show up looking for me. And no matter what happens or who it is you have to act like you have no idea who I was. Just say that a random red head came in your room and asked to borrow your phone, okay? If he thinks I don't know you then he won't try to use you to get to me." Ann managed to slow her speech a bit. But she was very anxious to be away from the hospital.

"Okay. But I really don't see the problem. Can't security just throw him out?" Jasmine asked, a little amused by Ann's chaotic state. "You don't 'know' this man. Look, you might be a bit surprised by who it is that comes looking for me. But trust me. You have to act like you honestly have no idea who I am. Can you do that? If you don't you could get seriously hurt." Ann explained. Jasmine nodded. "Ok, I promise, they won't even have a suspicion." Ann nodded. "Okay. I have to go now. I need to find Reign." Jasmine nodded and hollered a hasty 'good luck' as Ann hurried out of the room.

By the time she had reached her bike she had calmed down quite a bit. Especially now that she was actually to her bike. She could be gone in 3 seconds flat if she needed to be.

She let her heart beat get under control before she stepped onto her bike and fired it up. Putting on the helmet she clipped it securely before easing her bike towards the exit ramp of the covered parking lot. By the time she was on the ground floor she was completely under control of herself again.

She pulled out onto the road and smoothly coasted down the street. She smiled smugly. Even if he had somehow made it there by now, he'd never recognize her in the helmet. He didn't even know she owned a bike, thanks to Bruce.

The light ahead of her turned red and she coasted to a stop. A couple seconds later she notice a blue blur come up to the light from the right. Getting a closer look she realized it was a blue Ducati. And sitting on it was none other than the man himself…

Bruce.

Shit.

She whined to herself. It looked like Bruce was one step ahead of Joker. He hadn't even been looking for her a full day and he'd already found her. She just hoped he wouldn't notice her. But that was impossible now, as the light had turned green, allowing her to drive right past him. She checked her mirrors. Sure enough, he turned behind her after she went by.

The last thing on earth she wanted to do right now was face Bruce. She'd rather have to deal with Joker than confront Bruce. She wasn't exactly afraid of Bruce like she sort of was with Jak. She knew Bruce would never hurt her. But truthfully, she was more afraid of the conflicting feeling she had for Bruce. And he had a way of breaking down her barriers that made things difficult.

If he was here, now, it meant that he was finally at the end of his patience and wanted answers from her. Answer's that she simply didn't have to give.

She accelerated, weaving in and out of the traffic, hoping he would get stuck behind someone. But it was soon apparent that that wasn't about to happen. He kept up with her easily. Probably because the motor in his Ducati was significantly bigger and better than her little Kawasaki.

He pulled up next to her in her lane, forcing her to move over or be hit. "Pull over!" He yelled out across to her and motioned for her to go off to the side. He didn't have a helmet on. Just his sun glasses. So it was pretty obvious what he wanted. She glared at him through the lens of her helmet, even though she knew he couldn't see her face. She promptly flipped him off before braking hard and cornering sharply to the right onto a side road. She knew it wouldn't keep him off her for long. But she had to try.

It wasn't even a minute before he pulled up next to her again. "It's a 1098! You can't out run me, Ann. Just pull over!" He yelled. Nope, she definitely couldn't out run him. And out maneuvering him was unlikely. He had been riding for years. And she was all of a beginner. She was seriously screwed. There was only one way she was going to lose him. She was going to have to do something crazy.

Gritting her teeth she flew through random ideas. Short of ramping over a building she couldn't think of any. But then she remembered the 9th street draw bridge. And she was already headed that direction now, thanks to Bruce. Unfortunately, Misa's home was also in that direction. But the chances of running into Jak were slim to none now. And he wouldn't be looking for a bike anyway. So she accelerated.

By the time she reached 9th street she had finished working through her plan. She could see a barge coming into the harbor off to the left. If she could time it just right and keep Bruce far enough behind her she might be able to ramp it where he either couldn't or wouldn't follow. The last block before the bridge she would hang a right and go all the way around. Since her bike was lighter she could corner better, or so she hoped. If she was right she should be far enough ahead of him to lose him when she jumped.

It didn't look likely that he was going to give up any other way. He wasn't riding right next to her anymore. But he was hanging back just behind her and to the side.

Her plan was solid. That is, until that annoying human element decided to show up. And it was in the form of a cop. And they were currently doing 30 over the posted speed limit. As predicted, the cop pulled out of his little hiding spot, flipped on his lights, and got right up behind them. Ann groaned. That was just perfect.

Bruce pulled up beside her. "Pull over! It's just a speeding ticket. You keep going and we'll be in jail." He told her. At least that answered the question of whether or not he would pull over without her.

They reached the turn before the bridge. She braked sharply and angled to the right like before. Behind her Bruce braked and almost got rear-ended by the cop who slammed on the brakes too. She went around the block in the same fashion. But Bruce did something unexpected. He cut through the ally and came out of it just after she passed him. Ahead of her the bridge was raising and she gave it all it had.

She didn't hesitate as the bridge rose to half its full height. She dropped two gears and gunned it for all it was worth. Hoping with everything that he didn't decide to follow her, she hit the ramp of the bridge. Time seemed to stand still for a moment. Glancing down she could see the water below and the barge coming up from the side. She held her breath as she rose over the top of the bridge. But there was yet another problem, she realized. As the other side came into view so did a street full of red and blue flashing lights. The cop pursuing them must have called for reinforcements and they got stuck as the bridge raised. And they were lined up no more than five feet from the end of the bridge. She wouldn't have room to stop.

Already cringing, she forced herself to remain calm and not tense up as her back tire touched the bridge. The front tire touched down a second later at a slight angle. She struggled for another second to keep the bike in control. The instant she had it she slammed on both front and back brakes as hard as she could. The bike skidded sideways and she leaned uphill against it as it slowed. Everything was surreal. The bike was headed straight for one of the police cars parked in her way.

There was nothing she could do about it now. She closed her eyes and prayed for the best. Seconds later her bike skidded to a halt. But there was no huge crash and bang like she expected. Opening her eyes she looked to her side to see she had stopped mere inches from the car.

She looked back just in time to see Bruce's bike land just like hers had. She imagined her face looked a lot like his did. He let out a long 'shit!' As he slammed on his brakes just like she had done. He skidded sideways and leaned. A second later she realized he was headed straight for her. Her eyes shot wide and she gunned her bike forward a few feet and got out of the way just in time as he skidded to a halt in the spot she had just been.

She put her bike in neutral with a huge sigh and looked back at him. He was clinched up as stiff as could be, grasping the handle bars has hard as imaginable. But his eyes were closed and his face was calm and serene, almost like he was trying to picture himself somewhere else.

After a few seconds he opened his eyes and sent a glare her way as he raised his hands and put them over his head. For a second she didn't know what he was doing. Then she looked around her and realized that every cop in the area had their guns leveled on the two of them.

"Well, I hope your happy." He commented as she slowly raised her hands like he had. She 'distinctly' wanted to tell him just how unhappy she was.


	3. Chapter 3

Joker was probably in the worst mood of his life as he stared up at the entrance to Saint Francis hospital. He was undoubtedly much too late to actually catch her here. She was already long gone. Luckily, he was an expert at attaining information. Especially from people who were reluctant to give it.

Her damsel in distress call to the police had significantly annoyed him, as the police had arrived just as he was about to dash out of the house. This forced him to go through the back yard to get away. And this led to him jumping several fences and running through several other back yards. And of course there was an annoying rat of a dog in one who absolutely couldn't stop broadcasting his location to everyone in hearing distance.

He had debated taking the time to change into his usual attire, but ultimately the eagerness to have information won out over the prospect of scaring an entire hospital into submission. And this would give him the opportunity to acquire what he needed faster and easier.

He walked into the hospital and used the clearly posted directions on the walls to find the correct room. He found room 346 fairly easily. The door was left half way open so he peeked inside.

There was an unusually pale woman with long dark hair reclining in the hospital provided bed. She looked to be watching tv. He took a moment to decide how to play this. The woman may know nothing at all, in which case he would have to figure out if she was lying. But more than likely she had something useful for him to go on. If she did know Ann, his lovely would have most likely warned her against anyone strange asking about her. Thinking through this he knew exactly how to play the woman to his advantage. And if it didn't work he could always come back dressed in purple and wave a knife in her face.

He softly knocked on the door and pushed it open slightly. As she looked at him he noticed an automatic reaction in her. She smiled. He recognized it as some sort of defense mechanism. "Hi." She said cheerily. He faked hesitancy as he entered. "I'm sorry. I think I must have come to the wrong place." He said. "Oh. I'm sorry. Were you looking for someone?" She asked. A faked look of pain spread across his face. "My sister. Her friend told me I might find her here." He told her. "Oh, well I've been in this room a few days. Maybe they moved her." At least that cleared up the question as to whether or not Ann was a patient. "Well the thing is I'm not sure if she was admitted here or if she was visiting someone. Maybe you could help me?" He asked. He caught a flash of a warning bell going off in her mind as her expression changed suddenly. "I can try." She replied.

He came all the way in the room. "Well, it's a bit difficult to explain. I haven't seen my sister in a few years. We had a falling out at our family's Christmas party awhile back and haven't spoken since. But I got a call from one of her friends a few days ago. She told me that Ann had gotten mixed up with an incredibly possessive guy that was dangerous. She was afraid for her safety and asked if I could help her." He explained.

"Oh, well why don't you call her?" The woman asked. He frowned sadly. "She won't take my calls. I'm afraid she might get hurt. I just need to talk to her in person." He said morosely. The woman looked back at him sadly. "Oh. Um, well she asked me not to tell anyone I knew her. Maybe if I could see some kind of proof that you're her brother?" She asked. Ahah. He had her. "Sure. I don't really have anything substantial. But I can tell you everything about her. Her birthday is July 7th, she loves leather, she's slightly reserved and doesn't like to really talk a lot unless she's stressed and figuring out a problem, she drives a 1969 Camaro that she restored herself, she enjoys martial arts-" "Okay." The woman said laughing. "I believe you. Your sister's a hero. She saved my life! I guess it makes sense that she'd be a martial artist. But I'm afraid I don't really know that much that could help. I know she lives close to the diner where I work." She explained. He smiled. "Anything will help."

~Ann's POV~

Ann was sitting in the same jail cell she and Ashley had shared several months earlier. Bruce sat on the bench in the cell next to her, separated by the metal bars. They had shared a ride in the back of a police car with a matching set of shiny bracelets after being promised to get everything the 'book' had to throw at them. And they were refusing to give them a bail. She wasn't worried about it. Once Gordon came in he would understand what happened and let them out. But he most likely wouldn't be back in until morning. It was sufficiently freezing inside the jail. She had used her phone call to call Reign and tell her she was probably going to be away till tomorrow.

She wrapped her arms around herself and curled her knees up to her chest. So far Bruce hadn't said a word to her. She could tell he was fairly angry with her. She was just waiting for him to figure out what he wanted to say. She knew she probably had it coming.

"You ramped the bridge." He finally spoke. She glanced at him. "So did you." She pointed out.

"I can't believe you ramped the bridge." He told her without looking her direction. "I can't believe you followed me." She told him.

He slowly turned his head to look at her. "Well if you had just pulled over I wouldn't have had to." He told her with a glare. "You jumped the damned bridge."

She glared back. "Well if you hadn't been chasing me I wouldn't have jumped it." She told him angrily. "Well if you hadn't run away I wouldn't have chased you." He shot back.

"Well if you hadn't confused me I wouldn't have run away!" She yelled at him. He sighed. "I'm sorry. It was my fault. Does that make it any better? If I just say it was all my fault?" He asked.

She glanced back at him. "No."

He bowed his head and ran his hands through his hair. "What would make it better then?" He asked.

"I… I dunno." She told him.

Silence.

After a minute he sighed and took off his heavy leather jacket before handing it to her through the bars. She hesitated a moment before reaching out and taking it. True, she had been allowed to keep her jacket, but it was thin and didn't offer much protection from the cold. She smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks." "Your welcome."

She slipped the jacket on and wrapped it around her legs. She could smell his cologne mixed with leather. "I'm sorry I got you arrested. Again. I just… I just wanted to see you." He told her.

She smiled back at him. "It's okay. I can't really be mad at you for getting me thrown in jail this time. I could have stopped."

The sound of a metal door opening and closing echoed through the jail. Ann watched as a cop walked passed her cell. "Hey! Call Gordon!" She yelled at him. He ignored her and kept walking. She gave a huff of annoyance. Bruce laughed at her attempt. She shot him a glare. But before she could retaliate there was another bang of the door. A few seconds later Commissioner Gordon walked in. Apparently no one had informed him they were the ones who caused the trouble. He blanched the moment he saw the pair of them.

"Ann? What did you-? And after I just finished praising you as a reliable guardian…." He trailed off. Bruce gave her a funny look as she jumped up. "It's not my fault! He was chasing me!" She accused as she pointed in Bruce's direction. Gordon looked at the man behind her. Bruce was a bit wide eyed and didn't really know what to say.

Gordon's look turned apprehensive. "I see." He muttered. Bruce, who was now standing, crossed his arms. "It wasn't her fault. I did chase her." He admitted. Gordon sighed. "Your supposed to keep her 'out' of trouble." Gordon commented as he thumbed through his keys, looking for the right one.

Once he found the correct key he opened the doors and the both of them stepped out of their cells. "Thanks Commissioner." She smiled gratefully. "Mmhmm. Just be more, um, choice conscious about how you drive from now on. Okay?" She nodded. "And you, I don't even know what to say to you." Speaking to Bruce. "You- oh just go. I swear it's like raising teenagers." He walked out muttering to himself.

Ann winced, but Bruce looked unfazed. Not really knowing what else to do, so she let Bruce escort her back through the police station. The man at the checkout area gave her back her guns and knife. She was about to walk out when she noticed the man give Bruce back his wallet, cell phone, and what looked like a knife that he slid into the pocket of the coat that she was still wearing. Then he guided her out into the open street. Once outside, in the fading sun, it was much warmer. She slipped off the heavy leather jacket and gratefully handed it back to Bruce. He smirked as he took back the jacket. But as he did he wrapped his free arm around her. He pulled her into a warm hug. She hesitated, stiff and unsure.

"I didn't know you carried a knife." She told him a bit awkwardly as he kissed the top of her head and let her go. "I didn't know you carried those guns." He replied as they walked around the corner to the impound lot. She was in the process of putting them back into her holsters. He stopped and waited for her as she propped her foot on the side of the building so she could put the second gun back in the hidden holster on her ankle. She didn't notice, but as she did so it gave him a very nice view of her butt. He leaned over ever so slightly as his eyebrows rose.

She pulled her pants leg back over the holster and turned back to look at him just as he straightened and looked away. She shot a glare his way as he glanced back at her and they continued walking. "Were you just staring at my ass?" She asked in a disbelieving voice. He looked back at her like he had just noticed she was there. "What?" He asked. She gave him a look of disbelief. "You were ogling my ass!" She exclaimed, earning a few looks from passersby. He smirked before leaning over to whisper in her ear. "Darling, I've seen you naked. I hardly think staring at your ass would be offensive." He told her before walking on ahead of her. She balked. "Darling?" He smirked back at her as he walked up to the little booth outside the gates to the impound lot and started talking to the officer on duty. She glared daggers at his back before joining him at the window.

"Are you the two who jumped a bridge on motorcycles?" The man asked as she tuned into the conversation. Bruce glanced back at Ann over his shoulder. "That'd be us." He said. The man smiled. "One of the guys got it on video. You wanna see it?" He asked. Bruce's eyebrows rose slightly. "He got it on video?" He asked in disbelief. The man nodded and handed Bruce his cell phone. It had a video playing on it. Ann stood on her tip toes to look over his shoulder. Sure enough. The video just barely caught Ann at the top of her jump and ended with the two of them raising their hands at gun point. "Can you send that to me?" Ann asked, slightly proud of herself for not screaming like Bruce had. Bruce glared at her a moment before handing the phone back. "Oh, it's all over youtube." The man told them. Ann's eyes widened. "What?" She asked. "It's on the news too." He told her. Beside her Bruce closed his eyes and sighed deeply, obviously in an attempt to control his annoyance.

Ann grinned at him. "Um, sorry?" She told Bruce. He looked back at her in a way that said he didn't believe she really was.

They each had to pay a little over $500 to retrieve their motorcycles. Ann didn't have the cash so she was forced to charge it to her credit card. Bruce had done the same. After they had paid the officer gave them their keys and opened the locked gate for them to go inside.

They found their bikes at the back of the lot parked neatly next to each other. There wasn't a single scratch. Ann was relieved. As she was about to start her bike Bruce stopped her by putting his hand over hers. "Come to dinner tonight." He said. He wasn't so much asking or telling her. But the look in his eyes was pleading her to say yes. "Bruce, everyone thinks I left to avoid Joker. But you know that was only part of it. I left because I was confused." She told him. "Just give it a chance." He asked her.

She gave it a moment of thought. "Nothing serious. It's just dinner." He told her. She thought back to Reign wanting to meet both Bruce and Joker. She definitely wasn't going to meet Joker anytime soon if she had anything to say about it. But…

"Okay, but can I bring a friend?" She asked. He gave her a funny look. "A friend? Ann we hardly need a chaperone." He commented. She shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I've been taking care of a kid." She told him. An enlightened look spread across his face. "So that's what Gordon meant." She nodded. "The girl's parents were killed in a car crash years ago. Her sister, who ran off with her illegally, was mugged and shot. I just happen to hear the gun go off and got there just in time to save the both of them." Ann explained. "Okay, well bring her along. I'm sure she's lovely." Ann smirked. "Okay." She told him and nodded. He smiled. "Then it's a date." He said cheerfully before starting his bike.

Wait. A date?

Bruce left with a smile on his face and Ann was now a bit concerned. She knew Jak had probably gone to the hospital looking for information about her. She worried about Jasmine. But she was sure if he had done anything horrible she would have noticed some kind of activity from the police while she had been held prisoner. So she drove home, hoping to find Reign there and not out somewhere else.

~Joker's POV~

He had been watching the diner for close to an hour, hoping to get lucky and catch her driving by or going in to eat. He and Devon were in one of his vans down the street. Devon, of course, was angry about having been dragged into more drama involving Ann. He was irritable, tired, and hungry. Joker had been on his ass constantly ever since Ann had disappeared, hoping to glean information from his blonde girlfriend. Sniper was camped on the roof of a semi-high building a block away watching the parts of the area that Joker and Devon couldn't see.

It was nearly dinner time and the small diner was packed with customers. There was plenty of traffic, but no sign of Ann or her precious Camaro. Joker was getting impatient. He still felt that the kid knew something he wasn't sharing with him. He was sure the blonde must have shared something 'anything' significant with her faithful boyfriend. He had been hassling the boy for most of the time spent in the van.

"I told you already. I don't know anything." Devon said for the billionth time. "I'll find her eventually. If you would help it would all be over faster." Joker reasoned. He had yet to lose his composure during the current encounter with Devon. But he was losing his patience with him fast. "It's never 'over' with you. You can't leave well enough alone." Devon told him, looking out the window. "What makes it worse is she's just as damn stubborn as you are. It's like a circle that keeps going round and round, sucking up anyone and anything that gets too close."

Joker crossed his arms over his chest. "I have to say, being compared to some kind of destructive tropical storm is flattering." He said vainly. Devon sent a glare his way. "It wasn't a compliment you twisted clown."

A motorcycle came around the corner catching his attention. The driver accelerated past and disappeared down the road. Joker looked back to Devon to see his eyes had gone wide for a split second as he watched the bike go by. "Someone you know?" Joker asked, slightly interested in Devon's reaction. Devon glanced back at him before swallowing. "I just thought I saw my ex. That's all." Joker studied him a moment longer. But was unable to tell if he had been lying. "Interesting."

~Ann's POV~

She parked her bike in the garage and walked up to her door. She listened at the door for a moment before unlocking it and entering. She found Reign in the living room watching an old Bugs Bunny carton. "Have you eaten dinner yet?" Ann asked as she dropped her coat in the chair and started taking off her gun holster. Reign shook her head. "Good. I've got a surprise for you." She told the girl as she wandered to her bedroom in search of something to wear to dinner. Reign jumped to her feet and followed her into her room. "What is it?" She asked excitedly. Ann smiled at her over her shoulder as she dug through her closet. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, would it?" Reign jumped up to sit on the bed, pouting.

Ann gave in to her girly side and found a sheik black dress with silver trim that came down to just below her knees. She spun around holding the dress to her body. "What do you think? Is it too….girly?" Ann asked, showing Reign the dress. "I guess that depends on what your going to be doing in it." Reign said. "Touché. I'm kind of going on a date. And your coming with me." Ann told her. Reign wore a confused look on her face. "I'm coming with you on a date? Ya, that's not weird." She said sarcastically. Ann rolled her eyes. "It's not weird. It's part of your surprise." Ann told her. "Now what about the dress?" She redirected the conversation. Reign seemed to study it a moment as it hung in front of Ann. "Well, if it's for a date it looks good." The girl told her. Ann suppressed her slight annoyance. "But is it too girly for me?" She asked. Reign scratched her neck. "I don't even understand your question. It's a dress your wearing on a date. Isn't it supposed to be a bit girly?" She asked. "Well yeah. I guess. I just don't want to overdo it. I don't like looking like a primped up Barbie doll." Ann explained. Reign smiled. "In that case, your good. Doesn't look like anything a primped up Barbie would wear." Reign replied. Ann smile. "Awesome."

"If it's a dinner date then you better hurry and get ready. It's getting kind of late." The girl said as she hopped off the bed and made her way to the adjourning bathroom to brush her hair and was parting it in preparation for her pig tails. Ann smirked and waited for the girl to finish. Once Reign was done Ann undressed and stepped into the shower. She had just come from jail after all. She made quick work of shampooing her hair and shaving her legs and was done in an amazing 25 minutes, which impressed her. She towel dried her hair until it was only damp before retrieving her dress and pulling it on. She found a pair of shiny black heels in her closet and strapped them on before going back to the mirror and brushing out her hair and continuing to dry it. She parted her hair on the side, giving it an attractive flare, and then put on some grey eye shadow and eye liner. She topped it with mascara, and then she was finally ready.

She stepped out of the bathroom to find Reign in the living room. "How do I look?" She asked, a bit apprehensive. Reign's face it up. "You look wonderful!" She exclaimed. Ann smiled.

Ann and Reign arrived at Bruce's mansion close to half an hour later. Ann was nervous at first about arriving too late, but he had never really specified a time. So she tried to forget about it. And it wasn't like she hadn't dated Bruce before. It's just that this time they were both themselves, with nothing left to hide. This time they actually knew each other. True, they had known each other's secrets for a while. And they had spent a lot of time together since then. But since they had discovered each other's dirty little secrets, she had done her damndest to avoid any kind of situation like that with him. And here she was, walking right in to the exact situation she had been trying to avoid.

These thoughts floated through her head as she walked up the stairs towards the door. Reign followed her with a bounce in her step. Ann knew she was a smart girl. She had likely figured out who Ann was going on a date with, and was excited about meeting him.

As usual, the door opened before she could bother knocking. Alfred stood on the other side of the doorway. He smiled warmly at her. "Nice to see you again miss Ann." He told her. Alfred smiled at Reign before kneeling down and offering to shake her hand. "And who is this beautiful young lady?" He asked nicely. "Alfred this is Reign. She's been staying with me the last few days." Ann explained. "This is Alfred, Reign." Ann told her smiling. Reign seemed encouraged by Ann's smile and shook Alfred's hand. "It's nice to meet you." She told him sweetly.

After their introduction, Alfred led them up a flight of stairs to the same dining room Bruce had dined her at back before she knew who he really was. The same table was in the same place, sitting just inside the open door to the balcony that looked out over the property. Bruce was there, standing on the balcony looking out into the night. He turned at their arrival and flashed her one of those one in a million smiles that people rarely saw.

Just like every other time she saw him, her eyes couldn't help but wandering up and down his body. He was wearing his black slacks with a white button up shirt. He left the top few buttons open to give her a slight glimpse of his chest. Any lesser woman would have swooned over him in an instant. And she was having a hard time keeping herself from doing just that.

At seeing him, Reign's eyes lit up. She hopped up and down next to Ann in excitement. "It's really him! I'm meeting Bruce Wayne! Thank you thank you thank you!" She exclaimed to Ann as Bruce walked over to greet them.

"Bruce, this is Reign. Reign this is Bruce Wayne." Ann said calmly. Like Alfred, Bruce knelt down to her eye level with a smile. "Hi Reign. It's nice to meet you." He told her. Reign beamed up at him. "Nice to meet you too." She said happily.

He was charming. He must have really been trying to impress her tonight. And it was working. He stood back up and held his hand out for Ann to take. She hesitated again. But after a moment she placed her hand in his. He kissed her knuckles before guiding her to the table and pulling out her chair for her.

Reign sat to her left and Bruce sat across from her. Bruce was idly conversing with Reign about her interests and Ann was sipping her wine, listening. Reign seemed to be delighted to meet Gotham's number one play boy. If only the girl knew the truth about him like she did. She'd be doubly excited.

A few minutes into the conversation Alfred arrived with dinner. An expertly cooked filet minion with a side of portabella sautéed mushrooms and what looked like fiesta corn. Ann smiled up at Bruce at seeing the steak. He had remembered her favorite cuisine.

"You look beautiful Ann." Bruce commented. She smiled back at him. "Thank you." She replied. "So how did you guys meet?" Reign asked from beside her. Ann and Bruce exchanged a look. Ann could tell he was remembering the scenario on the roof tops where she had escaped Batman by climbing through a small window. It seemed like years ago. Bruce smiled at her. "Like usual, she took me by surprise. She beat me in a game that I didn't even know I was playing." He told the girl. "It seems like, no matter what I do, she's always one step out of my reach."

Ann blushed slightly at the double sided meaning in his words. And his insinuation that she played games didn't sit too well with her. Bruce took a bite of his steak in a way that made her feel like he was suggesting something with his actions. Ann took a deep breath to keep her composure as she picked at her mushrooms. Reign looked confused, glancing back and forth at the both of them, obviously wondering what she had missed.

The girl took it in stride, probably resolving to ask Ann about it later, and smiled. "I've missed you." Bruce said suddenly from across the table. "How have you been?" He asked. She was taken slightly off guard. But she nodded. "I've been okay." She told him. "Honestly it's been kind of boring the last few months. Going to libraries to access computers and pay phones to call my friends. I don't like it." She confessed. He gave a halfhearted smirk. "Well, at least it keeps you safe." He commented. "I can't imagine today could have been boring for you. I've said it before, you attract trouble like the plague."

"I suppose I can be a bit reckless." She stated, annoyed. Realization struck Reign. "That was you?! You were the two that jumped the bridge!" She exclaimed. "I knew I'd seen that bike before. It was yours!" Ann finished off the wine in her glass. She could tell this part of the conversation wouldn't be fun. Bruce seemed amuse by her annoyance. "We hardly planned for it to be recorded and put on the news." Ann mumbled. Bruce laughed. "To be technical, we didn't plan it at all." He commented.

Reign glanced back at Ann. "That's your problem, you know that. You don't plan anything." The girl told her. They had had this conversation before, briefly. "If I took the time to plan everything out I'd make myself crazy. Predicting things just doesn't work for me. It's easier to adjust for the situation and then compensate for it." Ann told her.

"You see her point though, Ann. You can't deny that half the reason you get into bad situations is because you don't have a backup plan." Bruce commented. She glared at him. "And the other half would be because people can't seem to leave me alone." She mumbled. He rubbed his neck in a slightly embarrassed way. "Touché."

"The two of you fight like an old married couple." Reign said, half to herself. This earned an amused smile from Bruce and an annoyed glare from Ann.

The rest of dinner went by rather quickly. When they were finished eating Bruce offered to take Reign on a tour of the mansion. It was already dark outside, so he could only really show her the inside. Ann patiently walked after the two of them as Bruce walked Reign through the large building. He'd stop every so often to explain part of the architecture, or to tell a story of how he came upon a particular work of art. Reign was impressed, and she marveled at the art that he had on display in many of the hallways and side rooms. Ann marveled at many of them also. Though she had spent a lot of time in the mansion, she had never really explored it like she had always wanted to. She had generally kept to the few rooms she frequented. So seeing more of the place was enjoyable. She found it interesting to see the things he had collected and cared for before he was Batman.

Before long Reign began to look very tired. A glance at a nearby grandfather clock told her it was already 11pm. Reign, of course, denied being anything close to tired. But both Ann and Bruce could see through her act. Once Ann voiced it, Bruce agreed that they should probably go. But not before he offered for them to stay there. Ann refused, mainly on principle.

As Ann was about to follow Reign down the stairs to the car Bruce lightly held her arm. She turned he smiled at her. "Just keep in touch, okay?" She smiled slightly. "Okay." He leaned in to place a chaste kiss on the lips before letting her go. He watched from the doorway as she descended the steps and got into her car.

~Joker's POV~

After another hour of sitting in the van he had resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to catch a glimpse of her, at least not this night. He had left Sniper behind, comfortably perched on his rooftop vantage point, just in case she happen to drive by. While his favorite pot shot lackey was doing his dirty work, Joker had gone to oversee something he had been working through his head for a while. He was getting damn tired of this game of hide and seek. If he couldn't find her, he was just going to have to make her come to him, or be brought to him tied and gagged by every citizen in Gotham.

He giggled at the thought. He knew she would come of her own free will. She had too much pride to hide from him after he put all his thoughts into action and she heard of it. She also had too much pride to let herself be dragged kicking and screaming to his door. Come to think of it, it might do her some good. But that would only happen if she refused to come to him herself. For a moment he hoped that her stubborn side won out over her pride. He smiled at the thought.

No sooner had he finished that thought his phone rang.

~Sniper's POV~

It was cold. Unbelievably cold at the top of the building he was perched upon. The wind whipped around him, threatening to blow him away if he were to be careless. He sat against the outdoor components of an air conditioner unit that was several feet back from the ledge of the building. His 50 caliber rifle sat on its bi-pod at the edge just to his left. Just in case. A high powered pair of binoculars used for spotting targets allowed him to view the entire area near the diner when he wanted to look things over. This allowed him to keep tabs on the area without having to move from his spot and look through his rifle.

He sighed and wrapped the jacket he wore tighter around his body. He was contemplating falling asleep when something caught his attention. He raised the binoculars to his eyes and his eyebrows rose in shock. He hadn't actual expected her to come by. Especially not this late. He pulled out his phone and dialed Joker's number as he packed up his gear and slung his rifle over his shoulder. If she left he would be expected to follow her. He ran to the elevator on the top floor, hoping she wouldn't leave the diner before he got to his Harley Davidson.

~Ann's POV~

They had stopped by the diner on the way home. Jasmine's pay check had come in today, and Reign had asked if they could pick it up on the way home. The girl had forgotten to get it when she was out earlier in the day. Ann didn't mind. It was only a short drive from the diner to the apartment. It wouldn't take long. But she felt slightly uneasy. Ever since she stepped out of her car it felt like there were eyes on her. She didn't like the feeling of being watched.

She watched from the booth by the door as Reign chatted with Lisa. Lisa was asking how Jasmine was and if there was anything she could do to help. Ann felt slightly awkward. But finally Reign was done and they made their goodbyes.

Once home Reign literally fell into bed and passed out. Ann wasn't quite so tired, so she snuggled up under a blanket on the couch and flipped through the channels on her tv until she found a decent movie. She would have changed out of the dress, but she simply didn't feel like it at the moment.

She wasn't much into the movie. But it made for decent background noise as she rolled through her thoughts. She couldn't help feel a bit of disgust at herself for hiding out for months. And it was all because she was afraid of her feelings for Bruce. And what sucked even more was he hadn't even seemed bothered by what had happened between them. He was just happy to see her again and that she was okay. He was willing to wait for her to figure things out and take it slow. True, he had chased her down on his motorcycle until she was forced to stop. But to be fair she had just disappeared three months earlier. It stood to reason that he probably just wanted to talk to her.

A knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts. Frowning, she stood and walked across the room. It must have been important. All her friends knew it was dangerous to come here. She reached for the door knob only for the door to burst open, probably from a well-placed kick. She jerked her hand away and stumbled backwards, just barely avoiding being hit by the door as it flew open.

Her first thought was robbers, but the moment her eyes landed on the purple suit she knew it was much worse. Her eyes darted to her guns on the other side of the room and back as he smoothly stepped through the busted door.

"Honey I'm home!" He exclaimed loudly. "Did ya miss me?" He asked as he stepped towards her. She backed up. "If you mean 'did I miss the insane way that you get me into trouble, the fucked up way you try to control me, and the bitter fights' then no. I didn't." She told him. He tilted his head. "Come now, love. Surely there was 'something' about me you missed." He coaxed as he slid farther into the room. "Please leave." She told him, crossing her arms. She was hardly in any shape to fight with him, physically or mentally.

He backed her up until she was against the wall. She wasn't used to being this vulnerable around him. She had no weapons within her reach; she was bare foot, and wearing a knee length dress. She felt naked and useless.

"Don't you look fancy? Did you get all dressed up for me?" He crooned. He was within arm's reach now. Close enough she could smell the gasoline on his suit.

She crossed her arms and smirked at him. "I was on a date." His eyes narrowed at her. "It's hardly any of your business. But I had a wonderful time. Now please leave." She told him. This was probably a bad idea, but it was the only weapon she had.

Before she could process it, he had hold of her wrist. And it hurt. "I don't think so. Your coming with me." He was dragging her to the door. "Sonofabitch! Let the fuck go of me!" She screamed at him. Suddenly out of nowhere there was a gunshot and a bullet ricocheted off the ceiling between the two. Joker let go of her wrist and she fell backwards onto her but. The both of them looked towards the doorway to the kitchen to see Reign, in her nightdress, clutching one of Ann's pistols.

Ann was shocked, to say the least. In the back of her mind she was sure the girl hadn't actually been trying to hit the Joker. But it was slightly amusing just the same. "Reign," Ann began. But she realized that the Joker was still standing over her. He was also looking at the girl with a slight sense of shock. Reign was shaking as she pointed the gun at Joker. Ann was surprise she hadn't dropped it yet.

"Get out." Reign yelled at Joker, who had recovered from his shock. He laughed at her. "Just who do you think I am, child?" He was still standing over her. Ann inched her way towards Reign. Once she got far enough away from him, she grabbed the other gun that was still on the chair and pointed it in his direction. "You should listen to her, Jak. She's not afraid of you. And I'm not a child." She told him. He didn't look very happy as he sneered at her. "I've already called the police. So unless Arkham is your goal, you'd better leave quickly." Reign told him. Ann had a thought that she could have been bluffing. Joker apparently had the same thought. That is, until the flash of red and blue from the window and the loud noise of police sirens flooded the apartment moments later.

"This isn't over, Love. I'll be seeing you again soon." He growled before rushing out the door.

Ann sighed and all but collapsed against the chair that her back was against. She glanced at Reign. The girl was still shaking and pointing the gun at the open door. Ann smiled and gently took the gun from her. "I'll take a guess that you've never shot a gun before." Ann commented. Reign shook her head. "Well, I'm glad you decided to learn." She commented and gave the girl a reassuring hug.

Moments later Commissioner Gordon ran into the room with his gun drawn. He had a whole squad of police officers behind him.

"He's already gone." Ann told him. The majority of police behind Gordon visibly relaxed. She guessed most of them didn't like the idea of a chance encounter with the Joker. "I'm very glad your both okay." Gordon told her. He had holstered his gun, but still looked stressed and on edge. She could see how bad this Joker business was affecting him.

Most of the police officers had dispersed by the time she had finished telling Gordon the story of what all had happened. Though, several had stayed behind. Either from curiosity or their duty she couldn't be sure.

"I don't think he'll be back tonight. Though I would like to place several officers in your home. Just to be sure." He told her. She nodded. No point in arguing. She knew no matter what she said, he was still going to leave them there.

Reign had gone back to bed not long after the commissioner had left. Ann, however, was still to wound up and just plain pissed off to sleep. She was sitting at the kitchen counter playing a game of quarters with herself and sipping on a strong self-made whiskey and Dr. Pepper. One of the two cops assigned to her was sitting on the couch watching tv while the other was doing a check of the outside perimeter.

Her current thought process was leading her down the road to finding a solution to her man problems with Joker. She was already at a stalemate in her relationship with him. He was obviously not going to give up his game with Batman anytime soon. She had the same problem with Bruce. Only he would refuse to leave the city defenseless against Joker. And both of them wanted her. Would do anything for her. Joker was her obvious focus here, as he didn't have morals or boundaries. Bruce was just insatiably protective. The problem was she couldn't pick either of them or she would end up having to fight against someone she cared about. She wished she could just go back to how it was before she found out Bruce was Batman. Everything was so much simpler then.

She was beginning to form some kind of long term plan for keeping Joker away from her until his status with Batman changed when the second police officer returned. He didn't look too keen on joining his partner on the couch, who was now snoring softly. So she offered him a seat next to her at the kitchen table. She offered him some whiskey, but he declined. It was fairly silent. She could tell he was debating something with himself. While she waited for him to do whatever he was wanting to do, she took the time to study him in greater detail. He was quite attractive, with wavy black hair that neatly framed his face. He had broad shoulders and was quite tall. He had a shadow of a beard along his jawline. And his hands were large and rough. He looked to be in his mid to late twenties.

She had the sudden realization that she hardly looked modest, with her tousled hair, her knee length wrinkled dress, and her bare feet. She probably looked like a cheap whore.

"Can I tell you something?" He suddenly asked from beside her. She returned her attention to him. "Um. Sure."

"I just want to say how much I admire you for standing up to him like you do." He told her. She was caught slightly off guard. "Umm. Thank you." She told him. She didn't really know what to say.

"It's really inspiring to see someone who's not afraid of him. It gives people hope." He told her. She smiled. "Thank you." She said again. It wasn't really so much of her standing up to him. It was more like her just trying to manage and get by his craziness. And she still wasn't used to being praised.

She took a look at his name tag. "Maroni?" She asked, suddenly nervous. He sighed visibly. "Unfortunately. Before you ask, yes I'm related to Sal Maroni. He's my uncle." He explained. Ann looked at him seriously. "But you a cop." She argued. He laughed. "Yes. And I'm and honest cop! Don't think just cause he's a mob boss that everyone who knows him is crooked." He almost scolded her. Sounds like he's heard that statement before. "I'm sorry. It just surprised me. I didn't think he had any nice friends. Much less any relatives on the police force." She told him. He smirked at her.

Well, at least that explains why I've never met him before, considering the company I used to keep.

"So you've met my uncle?" He asked surprised. She scowled at herself inwardly. She hadn't expected him to pick up on that. So he was smart as well.

She nodded in response to his question. "He's dating my best friend." She told him. At least that explanation didn't involve her in all the craziness that happened between herself and the mob boss.

"Oh, Misa? She's your best friend?" Ann nodded. He smiled. "She's nice." He commented. Ann didn't know Misa had met Maroni's family. At least it meant he wasn't just using her and keeping her a secret from everyone.

"I never got your first name." Ann commented, more to change the subject than anything. But she was genuinely curious. "Connor." He told her. He looked pleased that she had asked. She smiled at him. She rightly couldn't help it. He was cute.

The conversation turned to recent politics soon afterwards and they stayed up talking for hours until Ann was finally too tired to continue. She excused herself to sleep. But Connor assured her that he'd be awake all night to make sure no one could harm her. He seemed very chivalrous. She went to sleep with a smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

Ann woke late the next day. The night before had been stressful to say the least. She groggily made her way to the kitchen. She was greeted by the smell of bacon and eggs. Reign had pulled one of the table chairs over to the stove for her to stand on and she was happily humming away while she cooked breakfast. Connor looked like he could pass out at any moment. But Mickey, his partner, was looking refreshed and bright. They were both sipping on hot coffee. Ann greeted the trio and poured herself a cup of coffee for herself.

She sat politely at the free spot at the table and waited anxiously for her food. Reign had cooked enough for everyone and they all dug in gratefully. It had been a long night for everyone.

After they had all eaten Ann instructed Reign to collect her things. They were going to be moving. Again. Connor and Mickey had offered to help them pack up the essentials.

Ann was going through her closet when Connor approached her. "Where are you planning to go?" He asked as he helped her pack some of her clothes into a suitcase. "Well I have an idea of a more permanent residence. But for the moment I figured I'd just go to a motel somewhere." She told him. "Well, I'd really like it if I could stay in contact with you. I'd feel better knowing your safe." He told her. She smirked to herself. Basically he was discreetly asking for her phone number. It was also a testimate to her insistence to stay off the grid. She didn't like people to be able to get ahold of her.

She didn't want to use her old cell phone, in case someone was trying to track her. Like Bruce, or Jak's father. But luckily she had stopped by a local walmart and picked up a second one. Just in case she had an emergency. She smiled sweetly at him and pulled out the phone. She gave him her number and he gave her his. All under the pretense of her protection. Who knows, it might just be possible for her to attract a somewhat normal guy after all.

Ann made her way into Reigns room to check on her progress with packing. She found the girl sitting on the far corner of her bed clutching her teddy bear. She was pouting. Ann smiled at her and sat next to her on the bed. "Are you still afraid from last night?" Ann asked her. Reign shook her head no. "What's wrong then?" She asked. Reign looked sad for a moment. "Were leaving." The girl explained. Ann gave her a reassuring smile. "It'll be okay. I promise." She told her. Reign was still pouty. "But I'll have to leave my new bed behind." Reign explained. Ann laughed inside her head. "That's what this is about? Sweetie, I'll get you a new bed." Reign looked up, suddenly hopeful. "You will?" She asked. Ann smiled at her. "You can even pick out one you like. Any bed you want." Ann told her. The girl beamed. She jumped off the bed and flung herself at Ann in a big grateful hug. "Thank you!" She exclaimed.

Ann laughed at her giddiness. "You all ready to go?" She asked. Reign nodded with a happy smile plastered on her face. "K. I think I'm all ready to go too. Connor's packing up the last of the stuff I need.

"Looks like you've been expecting to move anyway." Connor commented as she returned to the living room. Ann eyed the boxes that were all lined up against the far wall. "Yeah, I haven't been here very long. Truthfully I don't much care for this place. I just wanted something temporary and a little out of the way." She explained.

He smirked. "Well at least it'll be easy to move again." He pointed out. She rolled her eyes.

At least were finally getting out of this place.

She couldn't help but wonder to herself just how long it would take before she would have to be moving again. But hopefully, there would be no need for it. She changed her clothes and ran a brush through her hair. She felt a bit strange arming herself with two cops there. But she knew there was no need for that.

Just as they were headed out the door Ann froze. Cursing she looked down at her bike. Connor came up beside her as she stared at it. "I can't leave it behind." She commented, more to herself. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it until now. "Well I could drive your car if you want." Connor offered beside her. She stiffened. The thought of yet another person driving her car wasn't exactly pleasant. "Can you drive a standard?" She asked. She was expecting a no. "Well it's been awhile. But I learned when I was younger." He told her.

I guess that's better than nothing.

She handed him the keys to her car and grabbed a pen and piece of paper. She hastily wrote down Misa's address and handed it to Connor. "Can you take Reign to this address? I'll call Misa and let her know your coming." Ann told him. He frowned at her. "Your not going there too?" He asked. She shook her head. "I've got some things I need to take care of first." He looked disappointed. Connor carried her suitcase to her car for her and Mickey was carrying a box that had some of her weapons and sword in it. Reign jumped into the front seat and buckled her seat belt. Her teddy bear still in her arms and her backpack at her feet in the floor. She looked at them expectantly, like she couldn't wait to get going.

"Hey kiddo, don't let him ruin my transmission, okay?" Ann told Reign. The girl giggled. Connor picked up on her joke. "Haha. I'll be nice with it." He said sarcastically and nudged her with his elbow. She smiled to herself. "Okay, well get going. I'll call Misa." Ann told him. Mickey was already in the police car that was parked at the curb. Ann went over to her bike and started it. Then she pulled out her phone and dialed Misa's number as Connor was carefully backing her car out of its parking spot. She was thankful he hadn't ground the gears yet. Connor and Reign waived to her and she waived back while she listened to the phone ring. She watched her car pull away then looked down at the phone. She hadn't got an answer. She frowned in annoyance and tried again. This time she called Misa's cell phone.

"Hello? Ann? Is that you?" Misa's voice came from the other end. "Yes, hey I had a run in with Jak last night. So I'm having to move. I've sent someone to your house with my car and Reign." Ann explained. "I'm so glad you called! Sal says there's something wrong. He won't let me go home. He says the Joker's planning something and it's dangerous." Misa told her. Of course he was. "When is he ever not doing something dangerous? I don't have time for this. I'm damn sick of this crap. I need to call Connor."

Ann barely caught the protest as she hung up and dialed Connor's cell number. Guess it was a good thing she got his number after all. After a moment she got an answer. She explained the problem. "Sounds like his place is probably the safest place to be then." Connor commented. "I can just take Reign there." He offered. Ann took a deep breath. Maroni's mob spot wasn't exactly what she would deem 'safe' for an 11 year old girl. But Misa would undoubtedly be kept safe. And Ann had no doubt that Misa would look after the girl. Connor was right. It would be the safest place. And since Maroni was freaking out about Joker that would mean the chances of him being welcome would be next to none.

She sighed. "Fine. But for the record I don't like it." She told him. She supposed it was better than sending him to Bruce's place. She could only imagine how that would go.

After they hung up she hopped on her bike and snapped on her helmet before pulling out onto the road and making for the freeway. It wasn't even noon yet and she was already wanting alcohol. It promised to be either a very interesting day, or a very bad one. Possibly both.

Twenty minutes later her mood still hadn't improved, despite her motorcycle ride. She had finally made it to her destination. She parked her bike on the curb and left her helmet on the bike's mirror before walking into the Gotham Real Estate office.

After an hour talking with the real estate agent she finally got it through to them exactly what she was looking for. For some odd reason the real estate lady just couldn't accept that Ann simply didn't want an uptown penthouse or quaint little cottage to raise a family in.

Ann stepped outside shaking her head with exasperation. She walked over to her bike and started it. She was about to get on when something across the street caught her attention. A man on a Harley that looked very familiar. And he had a large caliber rifle slung over his back.

Sniper

It was obvious he was there for her. And it was also obvious that he knew she had seen him. She smiled sweetly at him and waived. He smirked and waived back at her. It looked like Jak had given up on discretion. Sniper's Harley looked like it was maybe an 1100cc. Meaning he could match her in speed easily. But it was also a Harley. His acceleration would be slow compared to her. And she could also take corners faster. Because of the motor's bulk it would be difficult for him to take corners at the same speed. Hopefully the differences would keep her from the situation she had gotten into with Bruce the day before.

She threw her leg over her Ninja and buckled her helmet. He pulled out into traffic the same time she did. Her original plan was to head for Maroni's place. But once she was on the road she realized she had a problem. She had never found out where exactly it was. She cursed to herself. She couldn't exactly pull out her phone and call someone for directions. She would just have to try to lose him first. Then she could stop somewhere and call Misa or Connor.

She slowed as she came to a light that was changing yellow. But as she slowed she noticed something a little out of place. A plain white van was stopped at the light coming from her right. Once she got closer it told her all she needed to know. Devon was sitting in the driver's seat. And next to him sat the one and only Clown Prince of Crime. Sniper hadn't been just a tail. They were going to try to take her by force.

Thinking fast she cut across to the right hand lane, cutting off a car that honked in protest. Sniper was now on her left. Before he could follow her she accelerated into a right turn, coming within several feet of the van. She flipped them off as she passed and laughed to herself at the look of shock on Devon's face and the look of rage on Joker's.

Her move was perfect. Sniper couldn't follow because of the car in his way and the red light blocking his path. And Joker would have to turn the van around before he could pursue her.

Her mirrors told her that the van had made a right turn. Meaning he'd be coming towards her from the left. Sniper had ignored the rules of the road and had cut around the car. But it had still taken him more time.

Sniper was catching up with her quickly. Before he could get too close she made another right turn to take her farther away from Joker and to force Sniper to slow down. A bigger engine meant nothing if you didn't have the space to use it.

About the time he was beginning to catch up again she made another turn. It seemed that though she could slow him down on the curves, he would catch right back up to her once he was on a straight. So they were at a slight stalemate.

She started to feel panic when the van reappeared behind her. She was surprised she hadn't gotten herself lost in her attempt to get away. But she actually knew the neighborhood she was in. She was close to the road that would take her to Bruce's mansion. With another look in her rearview mirror she made up her mind. People were taking her choices away from her again. There was nothing else she could do. So she turned down the road that would take her to the only person who could drive him away.

The road to Bruce's mansion was long and winding. She didn't remember it ever taking so long to get there before. Joker and Sniper were still behind her. She hoped he hadn't figured out where she was going by now. But she was sure he had.

Finally his mansion was in view. She didn't slow down as much as she probably should have as she turned onto the gravel driveway. Her back tire slid on the loose rocks and she was forced to kick off the ground with her foot to keep from falling completely over. She gunned it going up the driveway so she'd have as much time as possible. She just hoped he was here.

Once she got close to the end of the driveway she skidded sideways and managed to stop at the foot of the stairs that led to the front door. She couldn't bring herself to drop the bike, even though she was in a hurry. So she took the time to put the kickstand down before she jumped off the bike, yanking her helmet off as she ran up the stairs. Bruce was already at the top with a shocked look on his face.

He looked like he had been in the middle of getting dressed. He was wearing a pair of his black business pants and a white button up shirt that was practically hanging off his shoulders. The front was undone, showing his muscled chest.

She made it to the top of the stairs just as she heard the sliding door of the van close behind her. She turned to see Joker standing at the base of the stairs with five or six of his goons behind him. And they were all armed. Devon was standing off to the side looking apologetic and pitiful. Sniper was next to him.

"Get behind me." Bruce told her as he stepped between her and Joker's henchmen. "I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go." She whispered.

"Ann. Come here." Joker commanded from the bottom of the stairs. "She's not going anywhere with you." Bruce spoke loudly. He was probably trying to be intimidating. But up against six armed men it was hardly a contest of intimidation. "She's coming with me if I have to destroy every inch of this place and everyone in it!" Joker yelled.

Bruce glanced back at her. She shook her head no. "It looks like she disagrees with you." Bruce called back. The click of weapons being taken off safety reached her ears. Devon actually looked worried now. Ann knew he was bluffing. He wouldn't shoot at her. But Bruce was a different story.

Bruce looked back at her. "I want you to slowly back through the door way." He told her. She glared at him. "No way. If I'm not behind you they'll kill you." She argued. He rolled his eyes. "For just once, one time, please trust me." He told her. She wasn't happy. But she nodded.

As she took her first small step backwards Bruce stepped with her so that they moved at the same time. When they were halfway to the door Joker exaggeratedly raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Every gun was suddenly pointed at them. Ann froze. If he was bluffing, he was doing a damn good job. "Keep moving." Bruce told her. He was unusually calm. But it snapped her out of the shock she was feeling. A moment later Devon worked his way through the goons to Joker. She could see he wasn't happy with the situation. Joker listened as Devon talked. But he was talking to quiet for her to hear what was being said.

"Get ready." Bruce told her over his shoulder. She was about to ask for what but Devon had recaptured her attention. "You said you wouldn't hurt her!" Most of the hired henchmen glanced at the two. Joker back handed Devon, causing him to stumble backwards. That was when Bruce made his move.

Before she could even blink he had turned and was facing her. He tackled her to the ground. A second later Joker's goons opened fire and bullets were flying over their heads. Ann landed roughly on the hard marble of the foyer. Bruce landed on top of her, knocking the wind from her lungs. He didn't spare a second as he rolled over and kicked the hard wood door shut behind them. Ann could hear Joker yelling for them to stop shooting as Bruce covered her protectively. A few seconds later the gunfire stopped.

She was finally getting her breath back when she heard someone running up the outside stairs. Bruce likely heard it as well. He half rolled off her, ready to fight whoever was at the door. Ann was a step ahead of him. And damn was she pissed off now. The bastard had actually opened fire on them! She twisted to the side and pulled her pistol from its holster just as the door swung open.

Joker and Devon were in the doorway. It was clear they had rushed up the stairs to make sure she was okay. But she didn't see any of that now. She was seeing red.

Both their faces sagged in relief when they saw her on the floor, in one piece, with her gun drawn. Then they realized she was pointing a gun at them. Joker's look of relief didn't change. But Devon's expression was one of panic.

"Get the fuck away from me!" She screamed. Joker's looked turned to shock as she gave off a warning shot that landed in the door frame by his shoulder. Devon and Joker both dove back out the door as she shot off all her ammo in their direction. She wasn't really trying to hit either of them. It was more of a hysterical stress relief than an attempt to kill them. When her gun was empty a few seconds later she threw it out the door in their direction as they scrambled down the stairs.

"I'll take that as a sign that your angry. I'll just see you later tonight." Joker called from outside.

"Fuck you, you psychopathic waste of space!" She yelled back.

A moment later she heard the van pull away.

She glanced at Bruce who was half sitting half kneeling at her right. "Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded. She could feel her walls breaking down around her as she tried to contain a sob. He pulled her into a hug and held her there against his shoulder. She was crying now, silently and she buried her face in his shoulder.

A few minutes went by and her tears were beginning to dry up when a discreet cough from behind them took both their attention. Alfred was standing slightly out of the way. "Shall I call the police sir?" He asked, slightly exasperated.

Wonderful. Just what I need. More cops.

"No, Alfred. They won't be back." Bruce told him. Ann sighed in relief. "Very good sir. I'll just… clean up then." Alfred told him. Alfred retreated and she looked back at Bruce. "I'm sorry I brought him here. I just didn't know where else to go." She told him. Bruce smiled at her. "I'm glad you came here." He told her. She smiled back, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

She was suddenly scooped up into his arms and he carried her up the nearby stairs. She didn't even bother to protest. She laid her head on his shoulder and let him carry her wherever he wanted. After a moment she closed her eyes.

A few minutes later she had almost drifted off to sleep when she felt herself being slowly laid on a soft surface. She opened her eyes to see he had taken her to his bedroom. She was laying on the plush white sofa. He was across the room retrieving something. When he came back he was carrying a bottle of red wine. She sat up on her elbows as he approached. "Planning on getting me drunk again?" She asked playfully. He smirked at her. "I figured it'd take the edge off." He told her. She sat up all the way as he sat beside her. He opened the bottle and poured her a glass. She gratefully took it and sipped on the slightly tart liquid. He had already poured himself a glass when he flipped on his tv before he slipped his arm around her shoulders.

A long time went by with nothing but silence. Neither one of them were paying any attention to the television. Bruce seemed to be more focused on her. But her mind was blank. She just stared at the tv without actually processing what was happening or paying any attention to it.

An hour went by before Bruce slightly shook her out of her shock. "I think your phone's going off." He told her. She hadn't even noticed. She pulled her phone out and answered the call.

It was Connor calling to check on her. She mentioned her encounter with Joker but left out most of the details, and the shooting. She made sure to emphasize that she was fine. He offered to come get her but she declined. Instead she asked for directions to Maroni's place. She made sure not to say the name 'Maroni' so Bruce wouldn't know where she was planning to go.

After she hung up she noticed Bruce giving her a curious look. "You make a new friend?" He asked. He had probably heard the male voice on the other end. She nodded. "Yeah, he's a cop. I met him last night." She told him. The look on his face said he was really annoyed that she had another run in with the police. She quickly explained that it actually hadn't been her fault this time then told him about her encounter with Joker the night before.

"Why didn't you call me?" He asked her a bit loudly. Obviously he was upset. "Well it was all over in just a few minutes. The cops were already there, he was gone, and it was late. I guess I didn't feel like I needed to." She told him.

He sighed, "And your going to Maroni's mansion. The biggest crime boss in the city." He commented. She winced.

**Guess he figured it out.**

"I don't like it any more than you do. But I have to go there. That's where Reign is." Now it looked like he was actually getting mad. "You sent an 11 year old girl to stay with the mob?" He was close to yelling. She glared at him. "Not really by choice! I asked Connor to take her to Misa's place. And Misa wasn't home. She was with Maroni. And after that I was in the middle of trying to avoid being captured by Joker." She tried to rationalize with him. He stopped, a confused look on his face. "Why was Misa with Maroni?" He asked suddenly.

Fuck.

It only then occurred to her that he didn't know they were dating. She closed her eyes, bracing for impact. "I guess their sort of dating." She mumbled. He was completely silent. She could almost see the vein popping out of his neck. "When were you planning on telling me this?" He asked after a moment. She quirked an eyebrow. He was beginning to confuse and annoy her. "I don't usually gossip about my friend's relationships." She commented

"That is something that would be nice to mention though." He told her. "You really think it's a good idea to go around telling everyone I know that my best friend is dating a 'mob boss'?" She asked sarcastically. "Well I figured you would at least telling someone your dating." He snapped back. "We went on 'a' date yesterday and now suddenly were a couple again? Since when am I obligated to tell you every aspect of my life?! I'm allowed to make my own decisions about who I tell and what! And I'm allowed to date or 'not' date who I want. I don't particularly like that she's seeing him either. But it's her choice."

She stood and angrily made her way for the door. "Wait." He was already standing and right behind her. He gently took hold of her arm. "I didn't mean to make you mad. I just wish you'd tell me what's going on. I care about you. And it makes me angry that you'd rather let anyone but me help you. It makes me jealous." He told her.

She was surprised. But his words eerily mimicked the ones she had told Jak. It was a slightly different situation. But she still felt a small pang of guilt.

She sighed. "I guess that is kinda my fault. I'm just not used to telling people what's going on with my life. I've always been a private person. I really don't like everybody knowing my business. I'm sorry." She told him. She gave him a hug. "Thank you. You know, for saving my ass." She told him. He smiled at her. "Anytime you need someone to save your ass, I hope you'll come to me." He told her. She smirked at him, catching the double meaning. He shrugged. "You know I love your ass."

 


	5. Chapter 5

Ann's mood had improved slightly since her encounter with Joker. Her sincere moment with Bruce had made her feel much better. But as she descended the stairs and came upon the mess in his foyer, the reality of the situation came crashing down on her again. They had shot at her! Actually fragging shot at her! She was so pissed about it she came close to flying into another rage. But she kept ahold of her wits. Bruce had, thankfully, let her leave on her own. Probably so he could process their conversation in greater detail. She was glad for the moment to herself.

As she came to the door of the mansion she let her caution flood through her. She hesitantly peeked around the door frame, just to make sure he hadn't come back to finish the job. Once she noted that he was in fact gone she walked outside and down the steps. She picked up the helmet that she had tossed in her rush and looked it over. There was a serious scuff on the top and she fumed at it. Any kind of hard drop and the safety of the helmet would be compromised, due to its interior structure. As far as she was concerned it was worthless now. So she dropped it back to the ground. Next she picked up her pistol that she had thrown in her earlier rage and examined it. She was happy to see that the resulting clatter on the pavement had only given it a slight scuff. Satisfied she continued down the stairs to her bike.

She walked a few circles around it, examining it for scuffs or bullet holes. She wouldn't have been a damn bit surprised if one of the oafs had fired a stray shot in its direction. But she was happy to find not a single mark on her precious motorcycle. She started it up, happy that she hadn't dropped it in her moment of haste to get up the stairs earlier.

Before she headed out she switched the loaded pistol to the more easily accessible holster on her back, and put the empty gun on her ankle.

Remembering the directions she had received on the phone earlier, she hopped on her bike. She still had her hair braided from her ride there. So she pulled the sunglasses Bruce had given her for her birthday out of her coat pocket and put them on, then headed on her way.

She was cautious on her way to Maroni's place, knowing that the Joker could have set up another tail for her. It would suck majorly to go through that entire situation all over again.

Luckily she made it to Maroni's place without an encounter or even the hint of one. She was happy for this. But her happiness was short lived.

"What the hell do you mean you won't open the gate?" Ann was trying her very best not to yell at the guard. "Sorry ma'am. Mr. Maroni himself made it very clear that no one is to enter." He told her calmly. Ann looked him up and down, sizing him up. She was incredibly tempted to knock him out and open the damned gate herself. But he was a big guy. Bald with broad shoulders and bulging muscles. And tall, easily 6 feet. Possibly more. She pictured him working as a bouncer at some club. "Really? Did you say the same thing to Connor when he came through here in MY Camaro?" She asked him. He looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Connor Maroni is an established member of the Maroni family. As such he may come and go as he pleases." He told her with a no nonsense tone. Though she could tell that he was unnerved by the fact that she knew the circumstance of Connor's arrival.

"Look, I'm expected, by BOTH your boss's girlfriend AND Connor. If you seriously want to proceed down this road, where you'll probably be strongly reprimanded, then just call up to the friggin house and confirm that I'm supposed to be here." She told him. She noticed that his eyes shifted slightly to give her a bit of a glare. "I'm sorry ma'am. I was implicitly directed that no one unknown may enter. And I don't know you." She closed her eyes and sighed to herself, forcing herself to calm down. "Fine." She turned off her bike and pulled out her phone. "If you won't do it I will."

She dialed Misa's number and waited patiently for her to pick up the call. A few moments later and Misa's happy voice beamed at her through the phone. "Hey Misa. I'm having a bit of a problem with the thug watch dog that's guarding the gate. Would you mind calling down here and barking at him in a language he might understand?" She asked with a cheerful voice. She glanced at the guard several feet to her right and watched him stiffen at her thinly veiled insult. Misa sounded a bit annoyed. "Sure. Give me just a second." Ann hung up the phone and smiled at the guard. He was glaring daggers at her. A few seconds later the phone in his little guard booth behind him rang. She could see the reluctance to answer the call. After a moment he turned his back to her and stepped inside the booth to answer the phone. He was too far away for her to hear the conversation. But the look on his face told her he definitely wasn't happy. A minute went by before he slammed the phone and trudged back out to her. She smiled at him and without looking away started her bike. The smile never left her face. He typed in a code on a post by the driveway and the gate opened. "Have a nice day Miss Giovanni." He told her as the gate opened. Her smile widened. "Thank you." She told him in her most cheerfully fake voice before she smoothly shifted her bike out of neutral and coasted inside.

The mansion's exterior was much more lavish than she would have expected. There were patches of well-groomed flowers and gardened areas along the driveway. The driveway itself looked to be made of a type of cobble stone and was lined with decorative bricks. Every few feet there was a marble statue or bust of what she could only guess was some famous Greek man or woman from history. Behind the statues on either side were rows of cherry blossom trees in their full and beautiful pink glory. Farther away from the driveway on both sides were large expanses or orchard that contained some type or another of fruit trees. Ann had no way of telling what kind they were.

She drove slowly, taking in all the beautiful scenery. But as she drove she began to pick out little details of security among all the beauty. A security camera here or a motion detector there. And also, moving in what looked like teams of four, were what appeared to be well trained security guards. They dressed all in black and all carried machine guns. The illegal type of machine guns. Every so often she would pick out one of these teams making their way around the property. She shivered a bit. Maroni definitely didn't compromise on the security factor. She would hate to be trapped in this place. The huge wall around the property would be hard enough to scale in an escape. It had looked like it was at least 10 foot high. Add that on top of round the clock top end security teams and all the cameras and escape from this place would surely be next to impossible without alerting someone. But then in the same case, breaking in would be just as impossible. There was no question in her mind, this was definitely one of the safest places in the city in terms of brute force 'stay the f out' security. Maroni had definitely jumped up the list of 'guys that have impressed me' scale.

The drive way was long. Going at her relatively slow pace it took her a bit to reach the actual mansion. Once she got close enough she began examining it as well. The exterior walls were all made of a golden color brick. Two large curved stone marble stairways stretched up from either side of the driveway to meet at the top at a large set of double doors. The driveway split, one way going to a circle drive that met with the two stair cases and the other direction going off to the right along the wall of the building. She wasn't 100% sure where to park her bike and had just decided to take the driveway to the right when a man stepped up to the driveway by the stairs and motioned her over. He was tall and slightly on the narrow side with long and neat black hair that was pulled into a pony tail. He wore a very formal looking red suit with a matching cap on his head.

"Umm, hi?" Ann said hesitantly. He smiled at her then looked down at her bike. "Would you like me to take your, umm, motorcycle to the garage miss?" He asked.

Ah. A valet. That explains the suit.

He really didn't look like the type to ride a motorized anything, much less her beautiful bike. "Umm, do you know how to ride one of these?" She asked him. He looked more anxious then shook his head. She smiled at him. "How bout you just show me where to park it. That way I don't have to worry about my bike, and you can still do your job." She suggested. He seemed to perk up at her suggestion.

Balancing on the bike was more difficult when she was coasting at this slow pace. But there was no helping it. She managed it fine by using her feet to somewhat walk the bike forward while she followed the valet down the driveway. Now that she had turned the corner by the mansion and the trees we no longer in her way she could see a fairly impressive looking garage at the far end of the mansion. Once they got closer the valet pushed a button on a small remote and two large doors on the exterior slowly began sliding open to either side.

Ann drove inside the garage and turned her bike around to make leaving easier. The garage easily had plenty of room. Ann recognized Misa's car parked a little farther in. Next to it was her Camaro. She was relieved to see it. There was also an expensive looking limo off to one side next to a pricy Cadillac. There covered cars in the back that were probably part of a collection. Ann didn't pay much attention to them.

The valet pointed her in the direction of a door that would take her into the main part of the mansion. She thanked him and headed inside.

The moment the door closed behind her she was pounced upon and nearly knocked over in a strong embrace by a little girl. Ann smirked at her. "I take it you missed me?" She asked Reign looked up at her through the thick bangs over her eyes and smiled. Ann patted her on the head as the girl released her. Misa was the next person she noticed. And she didn't look happy. "I'm really sorry about that idiot at the gate. He should have let you in just by mentioning my name." She told her.

Ann waived it off. "Naw, it's okay. I figured out the security around here's pretty tight." She replied.

"It's most definitely not okay. We've had problems with him before." Ann's eyebrows rose in slight surprise. But she didn't comment on it. She got the feeling Misa and the guard didn't get along very well.

Misa led Ann, who was being dragged along by Reign, several rooms away into a slightly more comfortable sitting room. Connor was lounging on one of the couches across the room. Someone was playing a baby grand piano that was in an open area on the other side of the room. Everything in sight was lavish and decorative.

Reign happily skipped over to sit on the floor close to Connor. She opened a rectangular box that looked like it housed some type of small instrument. Misa nudged Ann unexpectedly. "She's cute. Where'd you find her?" Misa asked as she sat on a plush looking love seat. Ann took a spot next to her and explained the situation with Reign, quietly so as not to disturb the little girl. Misa smiled at her. "You always manage to be in the right place at the right time." Ann rolled her eyes. "No. Not always." Thinking of her earlier run in with Joker.

Misa gave her a questioning look. A moment later she mentioned her clown faced 'friend' and Misa's temper immediately returned. "That bastard! Do you know what he did? He completely wrecked my house yesterday!" She half yelled. Ann tried her best to keep the smirk off her face, remembering when she had talked to him from her land line. She half winced. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Ashley said he broke into her place too."

"No no no. All he did to her place was rifle through her paperwork. Not me. He completely trashed my entire place. He tore apart my couch and bed. He took the stuffing out of every pillow and cushion and soaked it then stuffed it everywhere. He even put it in the freezer!" She exclaimed. This time Ann did wince. "Yeah. He mentioned he was mad at you because you stomped on his foot or something." Ann commented. Misa laughed a bit hysterically. "I should have stomped harder! I'd love to see him limp around with a broken toe!" Ann laughed at the thought.

"Anyways, that whole mess at my place is part of the reason I'm stuck here. Sal insisted that I stay here until this whole mess calms down. He didn't want me to be there if he came back. And also he won't let me leave. He's said that your friend is planning something big. He doesn't want me anywhere but here." Misa explained.

Ann scowled. "I thought Maroni was kind of 'in' with J. What is he planning?" Ann asked. Misa took that opportunity to glare at the piano across the room. "I don't know. He won't tell me." The music from the piano faltered.

Ann realized the mysterious piano player must be the mob boss himself. He likely hadn't wanted to reveal himself because of the somewhat strained relationship that they were both less than enthusiastic about maintaining.

"Sal, your being rude. Come say hi." Misa called from beside her. Connor had looked up from some magazine he had been reading. Sal Maroni materialized from behind the piano and made his way over to them. He offered a curt hello to Ann before sitting in a nearby recliner.

Reign suddenly bounded up to the two women in excitement. She held out the small box she had been encompassed with earlier to Ann. "Misa said you knew how to play it." Reign told her, again holding out the box. Ann gently took the box and opened it to reveal a beautiful gold plated concert flute. It looked incredibly expensive. Misa smiled. "Sal gave it to her. She was watching him play the piano and he mentioned that the piano and flute have the same notes and frequently duo together." Ann was in sheer amazement looking at the instrument. A simple silver plated flute could cost well over $1000. This one must have been worth at least four or five times that. It was beautifully crafted. Ann looked to his direction. "You gave this to her?" She asked amazed. He nodded.

"I've been a piano player for quite some time. I've always wondered at how beautifully the flute adds to the sound compilation. But sadly, I have no idea how to play it. I had hoped she would take an interest in it." He explained. Ann sat back in her seat and looked at the flute again.

"Will you teach me?" Reign asked enthusiastically. Ann looked at the little girl and saw the hopeful glee in her eyes. "Well I'm not exactly a good teacher. I've never taught anyone to play something before." Ann commented. Misa nudged her. "C'mon. You were the best flute played in the entire band. You won four meals in concert competitions by yourself and two others in quartet competitions." Misa bragged on her. Ann looked down at the flute again. "That was a really long time ago. But I guess I can give it a shot."

Ann spent the next few hours showing Reign all the basic essentials of the flute. She showed the girl how to put together the three parts and take them apart again, how to clean the flute after use, how to correctly position the mouthpiece and blow to create the sound. Reign had some difficulty with the last part. But after Ann explained that it was very similar to whistling Reign managed to produce a clear tone. Ann didn't have any sheet music to show her so that she would be able to read music. But she went through a basic scale starting at a low E and ending in a high B. Ann would demonstrate each note for her then show her the correct keys to hold down or leave open to produce the same note.

Misa had long since lost interest in the two of them and had switched on a television. She was watching Survivor. Ann never kept up with tv shows. Connor had either finished his magazine or got bored of it. He was watching the show as well. Maroni had his nose in a book, effectively blocking out the rest of the world. But Ann would notice him look up once in a while to watch the little girl try to play a note or set of notes on her new flute.

During a lull in the activity, and probably during a commercial Misa got Sal's attention. "Honey we should all go out to eat. It's been so long since I spent some time with Ann. And I'm hungry." Ann cringed at her use of the pet name 'honey' but Sal smiled at her. "Sure. Anything you want." He told her. Misa squeaked in happiness and jumped up and down.

She grabbed Ann by the wrist and tried to drag her up off the floor. Ann gave her a startled look. "C'mon! Let's get dressed!" Misa exclaimed when Ann didn't move from her spot. Ann looked herself up and down. "I am dressed." She stated matter of factly. Reign laughed. "She wants you to dress up."

Ann glowered at no one in particular. "I know what she wants." She shot a glance at Connor who was watching her intently. "It'd be like a double date! With a +1 of course." Misa said excitedly. Now it made sense. She was trying to push Connor off on her and play match maker. Ann glared at Misa. "It would do you some good to get out and have a good time with a 'normal' guy!" Misa shouted. Sal had already abandoned the conversation in favor of his book. Connor stood and walked to her spot on the floor.

"It would be my honor to escort you, mi lady." He stated, and with a flourish offered to help her to her feet. Ann sighed. "Oh alright." She caved and let him 'help' her up off the floor.

Moments later Ann was being dragged through the mansion by both Misa and Reign, who had each taken hold of one of her arms, presumably in an attempt to keep her in their grasp, should she change her mind.

Misa, of course, had the perfect dress in mind for her. It was a pretty blue color that was tight at her waist and then flared out in the shape of an A and came down to her knees. There was a little blue bow just under her breast line and it was strapless. Ann could only assume the material was silk. It felt cool and soft against her skin. It reminded Ann of a prom dress or something you might wear as a brides maid.

Misa chose a long flowing red dress for herself that had a split up to her knee on one side. It looked very luxurious. The bright red set off her black hair. The dress Ann was in made her feel slightly like she was Alice in Wonderland. It made her feel all pretty.

Misa didn't have any dressed that would fit Reign. But Reign had packed a few of her own dresses. She chose the nicest one she had. It was white with blue stripes that crisscrossed over each other. Ann was reminded of a young Dorothy, all ready to go off down a yellow brick road to find a wizard.

Misa did Ann's make up, giving her green tinted smoky eye shadow, a little blush and some mascara. Misa then gave Reign some simple blue eye shadow and blush of her own before starting on her own makeup. While Misa fussed over which shade she should wear with her red dress, Ann was busy trying to find a way to carry one of her guns with her in a discreet way. She was at a loss. Eventually Misa told her to give up on it. There was no plausible way to hide a gun in a dress like the one she was wearing. It was too tight to her skin, and too short to wear on around her leg. Ann finally settled on just her Swiss army knife that she placed in her bra, between her boobs where it couldn't be seen.

After Ann picked out a pair of cute but simple black heels the three were ready to go.

Misa guided the two of them to the foyer where Sal and Connor Maroni were already waiting. They were both wearing tuxedos. Ann thought of a penguin joke, but kept it to herself.

Once they made their hello's and you look beautiful's, Sal lead them outside where the limo from the garage was waiting on them.

Misa and Maroni cuddled on one of the limo seats and Reign sat off to the side looking slightly uncomfortable while Ann listened to Connor talk about what all he had been through while he had been on the police force. Turns out a lot of people didn't trust him because of his family ties. Ann could understand why. But she felt slightly sorry for him having to put up with it. She could tell he was very sincere about his job. Though she couldn't rule out the possibility of him being Maroni's inside man. But she found it unlikely. All in all he seemed like a completely normal guy, struggling to make a good side of the name he had been given. It was a little boring compared to the kind of guy she was used to. But maybe boring was exactly what she needed.

They had a nice dinner at a very expensive restaurant. Reign still looked like she didn't know what to do with herself. She obviously wasn't used to such lavish and rich conditions and didn't know what was proper. Ann figured she would eventually grow used to it.

Ann was really enjoying Connor's company. He was so laid back and relaxed. It was hardly the harsh uptight and secretive guy she was used to in both J and Bruce. With the both of them she could almost see the gears turning in their heads, knowing they were constantly thinking of the next move or working out a problem. But it wasn't like that with Connor. She felt she could relax a little and be more herself without having to watch what she said or did. It was a huge weight off her mind.

Several hours went by quickly at the restaurant. Maroni had come out of his silence a bit and Ann had actually managed a few conversations with him throughout the night. It wasn't until Misa had turned her attention to Connor, telling him about her experience as the DA's assistant, that Maroni got serious.

Once he was sure Misa's attention was elsewhere he leaned closer to Ann and all but whispered. "Your in some serious trouble." She nearly did a double take at the sudden change in his tone and the hushed way he talked. That was when she realized that he had wanted to speak to her all night. He just didn't want Misa to have to hear it.

She leaned over and whispered back. "You think I don't know that?" She practically hissed at him. With a glance at Misa he leaned back to her. "I normally stay away from things like this. It's just good business. But…" He looked back at Misa. The implied meaning hitting her. He wanted to help because she was Misa's best friend.

"And there's the fact that you're the only person he seems to not want to kill." He commented quietly. Ann frowned. She didn't want to be reminded of her past with Joker. It would get her thinking about him again.

"I don't know exactly what your point is, but you may want to get to it. She won't be distracted forever." Ann told him.

He frowned at her bluntness. "I wanted to warn you. He's planning something big, and it will be very soon. He's been hiring mercenaries from all the bosses in the city. Dangerous men."

Ann's mind flashed to the group of thugs that she hadn't recognized. The ones that had fired on her and Bruce before Joker could order it. Dangerous? Maroni had no idea.

"I had a run in with them earlier today." She told him. He scowled. Obviously he had hoped to warn her before she had to deal with them.

"I don't know how I can help with this, other than offering you the protection of my house. But if you find yourself in need of a powerful friend, I'll do what I can." He told her. Ann was honestly surprised by his offer. She eyed him warily, wondering what game he was trying to play at. But she could see no deception in his eyes. After a moment she nodded. "It's appreciated." She told him.

"What on earth are you two whispering about?" Misa asked from across the table. Ann had been right. She didn't remain distracted for long. Ann smiled at her. "Oh, it's just a little secret." She said slyly. Sal gave her a look. Ann smiled bright and cheery. "I know what your getting for your birthday! Haha." Ann exclaimed then stuck out her tongue. Misa glared. "That's no fair!" She argued like they were children again. The look on Sal's face said he was relieved. He smiled and went along with it, laughing with the rest of them at the childish display.

By now it was close to ten. Connor had asked her if she wanted to go out for a drink. After Misa had agreed to see Reign to sleep, Ann agreed. She could use a strong drink. And she had had a good time so far.

Maroni dropped the two of them off at Connor's favorite bar with a promise to send a car back for them. He winked in Connor's direction as the couple stepped out of the car.

Ann felt slightly overdressed for a bar. She would have been more comfortable in her own clothing, and not in a knee length silky dress. But Connor assured her it was fine. Turns out this happened to be the bar that most of the younger cops hung out at when they were off duty. As they entered Ann recognized several of them that she had come in contact with at some point or another in the past. No names jumped out at her though. The bar was busy and a band was up on stage playing older rock. This was her kind of place. She liked the atmosphere. Connor led her to a table that was away from most of the traffic and near a few pool tables. Ann's ordered a vodka sour and Connor picked something similar.

Ann had ordered her drink because of the slice of lemon that always came on the rim of the glass. She enjoyed eating them after she finished the drink.

After their drinks came Ann challenged Connor to a round of pool. He eagerly agreed, probably thinking that he could beat her easily because she was a girl. She was tempted to put money on the game, just to make her victory that much sweeter. But she figured embarrassing him in kicking his butt would be bad enough. Immediately she pulled ahead in the game and she watched his face fall. She smiled to herself. Men were so easy to surprise. Well, some men.

She easily won the first three games, and had attracted the attention of a few of Connor's co-workers who were all rooting for her to continue the embarrassment. Connor managed to win the next two games and Ann won the last.

Ann was about to re-wrack the table when something grabbed her attention. Someone across the room at the bar was calling Connor over. The man pointed to the television. Soon a crowed had formed around the bar all watching the tv. Soon afterward the bar began rapidly clearing out. Connor ran over to Ann. "I have to go. There's been an emergency." He told her. He seemed nervous. "That's awful. What kind of emergency? Is anyone hurt?" She asked concerned. He shook his head. "No not yet. But I need to get over there now. I'm going to go call a cab to the station." He told her. "Don't you need to change?" She asked him.

He was on his phone calling the cab already. "I have a uniform at the station." He told her while he waited for the cab company to pick up the phone.

She began to wander towards the bar, intent on seeing what was on the tv, but Connor stopped her before she could get there. "You don't want to see it." He told her. She frowned at him. She was quite sure she 'did' want to see it. He had finished his call for a cab rather quickly. She turned to again go to the television but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you just take the car back to Sal's place? You would probably be safest there." He suggested. She scowled at him. "What's the emergence? And why don't you want me to know about it?" She asked him, beginning to get irritated.

He sighed and let his head fall to look at the floor. "Because you'll try to do something about it." He told her. She broke away from him and made her way to the tv, shrugging him off her as he made another attempt to keep her away from it.

The tv was tuned to a news station. The 'live' icon in the top corner told her that this was going on at the very moment, and not a broadcast from earlier that day. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It told her that it was 11:13pm. Strange for a news broadcast to be on so late.

The reporter was talking about the police surrounding a building of some kind. And there was the mention of explosives. It sounded like the usual Joker scheme. Blow up a building just for the fun of it. Sure enough, a moment later the reporter mentioned the Joker and his demands.

Wait, demands? That doesn't sound like J.

A dark haired reporter was on the screen.

"Once again, I'm outside the Wayne Foundation Orphanage. As far as we can tell there are indeed people still inside. The Joker has threatened to have the building blown up if the police come within 200 yards of the building. He's demanding the return of what he is calling 'his shadow'. No one knows what he means. It's possible what little sanity he had remaining is now gone. If his demands are not met by midnight, he has threatened to destroy the building, killing any inside."

Ann nearly fainted. But that would do no good now. She slowly sat at the chair at the bar. She knocked on the bar. "Whiskey." She said aloud. A moment later there was a shot glass in front of her and the bar tender poured it full of whiskey. She immediately downed it and knocked again. The bartender refilled the glass. She downed it again. Connor was silent beside her. She rifled through her purse then dropped a 20 on the bar. "Keep it." She told him, indicating the change, before she stood and made her way towards the door. Connor stopped her again.

"Wait a minute. What exactly are you planning to do?" He asked her, clearly worried for her safety. He didn't know, no one did, what the Joker had meant by 'his Shadow'. Of course everyone would think he was just spouting more of his insanity. There was no way for Connor to know that he had meant her.

"I need to go. Go do your job, and I'll do mine." She told him before disappearing out the door. She found the car Maroni had sent parked at the curb several spots away from the bar's immediate entrance. She ran to the car and practically threw herself inside. The driver was clearly surprise by her sudden entrance. He had probably been sleeping.

"I don't have time to explain. I need to get me back to Maroni's place now. As fast as you can. Don't stop for anything. I'll see to it your paid for any traffic infractions. Speed." She told him. He gave her a strange look, but nodded. He pulled out onto the road and began driving back to Maroni's mansion.

Several minutes passed. "Go faster." She told him. He stepped on the accelerator and the car lurched forward. True to her instructions he never stopped for any traffic lights or eased his pace, except to turn.

It took 15 minutes to get back to the mansion. Ann rushed inside up to Misa's room. She was lucky to remember the way. She burst through the door, only to hear the scream from Misa at being woken up with such a start. Ann wasted no time in gathering her clothes, which Misa had neatly folded and left on a dresser against one wall. She dressed quickly, ignoring questions from Misa regarding what was going on. "Can't talk now. I have to go." Was all Ann said. She grabbed her belt and her gun holster containing the loaded gun. She left the empty one where it was.

She ran back through the house, clasping on her belt and holster as she went. She made it to her bike and started it, but ran into a problem. She had no idea how to open the doors to the garage. She searched the walls for some kind of button that would open them, but found none. Annoyed she began looking in the cars for one of the remotes that would open them. She found one in the pricy Cadillac. Luckily the door was unlocked; she would have hated to smash the window.

Once the doors were open far enough she sped out the still narrow opening. It was now 11:40.

She knew her way there because of a charity she had attended with Bruce at one point back before they knew each other's secrets. But it had been quite some time since then. She only knew for sure the area of the city.

Driving fast was a challenge. She no longer had a helmet that blocked her eyes from the wind, and it was too dark for her to wear her sunglasses. She squinted through the harsh wind and tried to go as fast as she could manage while still being able to see. Her heart was beating furiously and her hands were beginning to get shaky. She could barely think between trying to see through the wind and keeping her body relaxed and in control. She managed three main thoughts that kept going over her mind. The first was: Jak was going to blow up a building full of children. The second was: he was doing it because of her. And the final thought was: she was about to hand herself over without so much as a fight.

There was no other option. He had forced her hand yet again. She wasn't sure if he would really kill all those children or not. But she couldn't take the chance. Not when she could stop it.

She must have been going faster than she had originally thought, because she was soon in the area that the orphanage was located. But she wasn't sure exactly which way to go now. She decided to be smart, stopping at an intersection, she waited and listened. Faintly in the distance she could hear the whine of sirens. She quickly revved her bike and turned to her right.

Several blocks later she could see red and blue flashing up ahead. She slowed her pace and looked for a secure place to leave her bike. She could see a crowd of police behind their cop cars crowded around the building. She was sure Connor was among them by now. Seeing no place to leave her bike, and a need to make an entrance so she could get through the police, she decided for the dramatic.

Behind the police she revved her bike loudly causing some of the police to turn at her sudden appearance. None of them had even noticed that she was there. A moment after she got their attention she popped the clutch and rode her bike into a wheelie. Several of the police men scattered, afraid she would run them over. But she stopped short and let the bike's front wheel touch the ground just as she reached them. She killed the engine and flipped down the kick stand before getting off her bike and pulling the tie out of her hair that was holding it in the braid.

The shocked faces around her began to register that she was a civilian in a dangerous environment. She recognized a few of the faces from the bar earlier. All at once they began herding her back and away from the crime scene, dictating that it was too dangerous for her to be there.

"Where's Jim Gordon?" She asked loudly over the noise around her. Moments later Connor pushed his way through the crowed of other officers. "What the hell are you doing here?" He asked angrily. "I need to talk to Gordon now!" She yelled at him, glancing at her watch. There was suddenly a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see the police commissioner. "Ann, what on earth are you doing? This is dangerous. You need to leave." He insisted. She shrugged his hand off her shoulder. "There's no time for this! I'm the one he wants. He's demanding me." She told him. "If I don't go in there he's going to blow up all those children!" She yelled at him.

He held up his hands, realizing she was slightly hysterical. "I know he wants you, but he didn't demand you. He demanded something called his 'shadow'. You know he's insane. He'll blow up the building no matter what we do. There's no way for us to give him a shadow! He's screwing with us!" He was angry, but not at her.

"Your not listening to me! He wants me! He demanded me! I'm Shadow!" She yelled at him. She had to make him understand, or they would never let her get through. And there were too many cops for her to force her way through. She should have just ridden her bike strait up to the doors. That would have seen better results than this.

The commissioner stopped and looked at her. Seriously looked at her. "What do you mean 'your Shadow'?" he asked her. She was angry, beyond angry that he was making her do this. "Exactly what I said. My name is Shadow. I was his Shadow! He's demanding I return to him!" She was practically screaming at the top of her lungs.

Connor had caught on quickly enough. He was gaping at her. He had known that the Joker was after her for some reason. But he hadn't even had a clue as to why. Now he knew. Now they both knew.

It took Gordon a bit longer to process what she had said. "You mean you used to work for him?!" He yelled angrily. She was beginning to get a headache and she rubbed her temples. "Yes and no. I never worked for him. But I helped him. A lot." She confessed.

"Commissioner, one minute till." Someone told him. His eyes narrowed. "Look you don't have time for anything else. Just let me through. I'm the only one who can stop this." She told him.

She could see he was torn on what he should do. On the one hand she had deliberately left out information that could help him catch the city's most dangerous criminal. But on the other hand, she was a civilian and had chosen to separate from the criminal on her own. She could see he was having trouble deciding if he should let her go in or not. He was probably debating on whether he should arrest her or not.

Connor gave her a look and pulled the commissioner aside, out of her hearing range. Probably to discuss whether or not she should go in. "There's no time for this! You heard the guy! It's less than a minute!" She yelled at them. She gave up and started trying to shove her way through the police around her, trying to break through the line.

A moment after she began her tirade she was roughly grabbed from behind, a hand went over her mouth and the other firmly pinned her arms at her sides.

She began to struggle, but seconds later there was blaze of fire that exploded out from the building and an ear splitting bang. She was knocked backwards, along with the man holding her and the entire police force. Her head banged against the pavement just after the man holding her twisted in mid-air, putting his back to the explosion, and shielding her from the blast of fire.

It felt like everything was going in slow motion. Her head was foggy from the impact, and her vision was blurred. Whoever had grabbed her hauled her to her feet. She was unsteady and almost fell back to the ground. She probably would have if the man hadn't been there steadying her.

Her vision began to clear a bit. She realized that she was being dragged away from where the explosion had taken place. Suddenly realizing what was going on she dug in her heels and tried to break her wrist free from the man's grip. She couldn't see his face, as he was facing away from her. But he was wearing the police blues and hat. She assumed that he had noticed her making her way to the building just as it was about to explode, and stopped her. And now he was probably trying to get her out of harm's way.

"Let go of me! I have to get back there! I'm not your concern right now. Go help the others." She barked at him, hoping he wouldn't be stubborn and take her somewhere 'safe' against her wishes.

Her thoughts flew to Jak. Surely he hadn't been in the building when it exploded. He wasn't suicidal on top of everything else. But she still had to make sure. He was surely somewhere in the immediate area. That was when the realization hit her.

Her free hand flew to her mouth and she dropped to her knees as she looked back at the burning building.

"My God. All those children." She gasped.

The man still holding her wrist went ignored until he hauled her up to her feet again and proceeded to drag her away from the area. And once again she was brought back to the situation. She yanked her arm, trying to free herself from his grasp. But he had a death grip on her.

"What the hell, dude! Let me go!" She yelled at him. Surely he had more pressing concerns than simply getting her to safety? Like putting out the fire, or something?

Off in the distance she could hear someone calling her name, looking for her. She identified the voice as Connor's.

"Connor!" She yelled, hoping he could hear her. Maybe he could talk some sense into this idiot. Not even a second after she'd yelled back the man yanked harshly on her arm and pulled her into his arms with her back to his front. She struggled once again, cursing the man with every insult she could think of.

A low and husky laugh next to her ear stilled her immediately. She would have recognized the laugh anywhere.

Everything fell into place inside her mind. She was never meant to actually go into the building. He had always planned on blowing up the orphanage, weather she gave herself up or not. And she had walked into the whole thing without a single thought or clue as to what was really happening.

"Did ya miss me, love?" he asked in her ear. His voice was husky and rough. It made her shiver, but this snapped her out of the shock she had been in at his sudden revelation. She began to kick and struggle against him, but he was already prepared for this. Moments later his hand came over her mouth again, this time covering her nose and mouth with a cloth. She barely had time to register what he was doing before she collapsed in his arms.


	6. Chapter 6

 

The drone of muffled voices was what brought her back from oblivion. She groaned internally at the disruption to her sleep. She couldn't remember ever being this tired. Except one time…..

The thought of when Joker had used chloroform on her forced her to remember the list of events that had happened just before she had blacked out. She slowly opened her eyes. She didn't get much of a view. Her nose was several inches away from a wall. She lay still for a few minutes trying to hear the voices that seemed to be coming from a different room. After her head was clear enough she slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position.

She was on a slightly rickety bed with plain covers that looked old and worn. She was in a small bedroom. There was an open door to her left that lead to a bathroom, a closet with sliding wood doors in front of her, and directly to its right was another door that she assumed would lead to the rest of the building. On the wall to her right she could see a window. Once she felt she could manage it, she pushed herself off the bed and went to explore the window, in the hopes she could find an easy way to escape. From the lack of light she could tell it was still night time. Though there was no way to tell how long she had been unconscious. Looking out the window she immediately cursed to herself. The window was barred from the outside. There would be no leaving through that particular window.

Only now did she have the sense to check for her gun. Of course, it was missing, along with her belt, knives, wallet, and cell phone. She was grateful to still be wearing her leather jacket.

She tried the door next. The door looked like it was made of a very solid and thick oak. She was surprised that the door knob turned. She pulled on the door, but it didn't budge. She yanked on it harder but it was still stuck in place. It must have had some kind of bolt on the outside. Cursing she kicked the door.

Ann explored the closet to find that there were already several sets of her clothes hanging neatly on hangers. Other than the several pairs of jeans and tank tops, the closet was empty. She angrily stomped to the bathroom.

The bathroom was fairly modest. Meaning it was small. An oval mirror hung on the wall above a small porcelain sink. Sitting on the sink was a container of liquid soap. The toilet was on the wall next to the sink. There was a small bath tub with a built in shower head and a clear curtain. Ann roller her eyes.

Pervert.

She noticed he had taken the time to buy some shampoo and conditioner. At least she wouldn't have to go through this entire ordeal being filthy. Though it wasn't like she particularly wanted to take a shower when he could walk in on her at any moment. Especially with a clear shower curtain.

She went back to the door that wouldn't open. The muffled voices were still present, though she still couldn't make out what was being said.

At some point or another she was sure Joker would eventually make his appearance. If left up to him, she was sure he would show up at the most inopportune moment. So she decided to take it into her own hands.

She began to bang as loudly as possible against the hard wood door. The voices stopped, like they were listening for more noise. "Hey! Let me the fuck out!" She yelled then began banging on the door again.

For a minute there was no response. Just silence. But then she heard footsteps. She backed away from the door when they got closer and she heard the clang of something metal being lifted away. As the door opened she got into a defensive stance, expecting Joker. She contemplated jumping him the moment he came through the door. Too bad she didn't have something heavy to smash into his head. She was very pissed at him.

When the door opened she was slightly caught off guard. The door opened to reveal a huge bald African American. It was not the Joker.

The man was so tall that he almost had to duck to avoid the top of the door frame. This guy made the bouncer at Maroni's gate look like a child throwing a temper tantrum. His black t shirt strained across his chest and arms to contain the bulging muscles beneath the fabric. He wore tan cargo pants with what looked to be a very wicked looking Bowie knife hanging from his belt. The cargo pants were tucked in at the ankles into huge black combat boots.

He coughed discreetly, snapping her out of her stupor. "Umm, where's the Joker?" She asked, still surprised he hadn't come himself to gloat about finally catching her.

The man looked her up and down. "He said to give you food when you woke up." The man told her bluntly, holding out a plastic tray that she now noticed he had been carrying. He placed the tray on a table by the door and then turned to leave.

"Hey, wait a minute." She called to him. He stopped and turned to look at her again, waiting for her to explain.

"Umm, why are you the one that came to give me the food?" She asked. She noticed a slight smirk on his face.

"The boss said you'd probably attack whoever came in first. He suggested I be the one to bring the food so that you'd think twice about being a problem for us." He told her.

She mentally winced. Guess that idea 'had' slipped her mind the moment she saw him walk through the door. Joker 1 Shadow 0.

"What's your name?" She asked him. She noticed the look on his face. It was like he was thinking 'why would she possibly want to know that?' kind of look.

"Bear." He told her simply. Her eyebrows rose. At least his name fit him well.

"Bear huh. Well Bear, did your boss happen to say when he'd be back?" She asked him. He shook his head.

She sighed. "Well did he leave any other instructions or messages concerning me?" She asked him. His eyebrows rose slightly.

"Only that no one's allowed to touch you or harm you in anyway, unless you try to escape. He said if that happened we should knock you out again." He told her. She rolled her eyes. Of course he had told them that. At least she didn't have to worry about them thinking she was a piece of meat.

"Okay, well is Devon or Sniper here?" She asked him. "They have been told not to speak with you." He told her. She scowled. "Well can I at least come out of my room after I eat and watch tv or something?"

He looked like he wanted to say no. But she doubted Joker would have 'specifically' told them not to let her out. It would have been implied. "He didn't tell you I couldn't did he?" She asked. He still looked hesitant, but she already knew the answer. "Well if he didn't say not to, there should be nothing wrong with it, right?" She prodded.

He considered it a moment. "Fine, were playing poker later. I'll come get you. But if you try to escape, I'll be the one to knock you out." He told her, a toothy grin spread across his face. She smiled and nodded at him, but her mind made a sound that could have been akin to something like 'eep'.

He looked satisfied, and left the room. She heard the metallic sound of whatever lock or bolt being put back in place from the other side.

She walked over to the table and examined the 'food'. It turned out to be microwaved chicken noodle soup, a few pieces of toast, and a glass of grape juice. Her eyebrows rose at the plastic spoon. What, they didn't trust her with a metal one? What did they think she'd do, make a shank out of a spoon? A thoughtful look crossed her face. Maybe not a shank, but screwdriver to loosen the bolts on the window bars would be good.

She took the tray of food to the creaky bed and sat it next to her. After she finished off the soup she munched on one of the toast pieces and walked to the window to look out again. She still couldn't see much through the lack of light, but it was obvious that she wasn't on the ground level of the building. There weren't any buildings she could see nearby. Just grass and a few trees. This was shaping up to be a boring 'kidnapping' already. She couldn't get over how Joker hadn't waited for her to wake up so he could gloat over her, or try to have sex with her, or intimidate her. It was strange. Maybe he simply didn't know what to do with her now that she was caught.

She finished the first slice of toast and started to work on the second. While she munched on it she relaxed on the bed and made herself busy by doing nothing. She stared at the ceiling. When she finally finished the toast she polished off the last of the grape juice then placed the tray back on the table by the door.

Now what?

**You could always talk to yourself.**

Isn't that what I do with you every day?

**Not technically.**

Just like usual, your no help at all.

She looked around the room, searching for something to do.

**I could help, but since your being rude I see no reason to do so.**

You never help! You just chatter away, distracting me from-

**From what? The lovely view?**

Akira snickered inside her mind. Ann rolled her eyes. Her alter ego did have a point.

She was lucky. She didn't have to wait long. There was a knock at the door and she grinned at the thought of getting out of the small room and seeing the rest of the house. She happily yelled 'come in'. Only then did the door open. Ann smiled at Bear as his hulky frame took up the door space. He didn't say a word, just waived at her to follow him.

She quickly walked after him as he disappeared through the door and down a hall. She was surprised he let her walk behind him. Rule one was the obvious- never turn your back to an opponent. But then again, there wasn't a lot she could really do to the huge man. No way was she able to kick him in the head. Maybe if she jumped. If she did attack him, she was sure she'd end up like a kid trying to use an adult as a jungle gym.

She was paying a fair amount of attention to her surroundings, but there was little for her to see. They walked through a long and slightly narrow hallway. Every so often they would pass a door on one side or the other. After a minute the hall opened up to a small room that was equipped with a small television set and a couch. She was guessing this was where her 'guards' took shifts or something. It also explained where the voices were coming from when she woke up. But Bear didn't stop there. Instead he walked to a door in the corner of the room. After he opened it Ann could see that it lead to a stairway that descended to a lower level of the building.

He waited at the door and politely motioned for her to go first. She smirked and walked down the stairs ahead of him. Though he had made it seem like he was being polite, she knew it was only because if he walked first then she would have the advantage of having the high ground in a narrow corridor. Too bad, if she had had that advantage, she surely would have taken it. Because of his huge girth and bulk he would be at an additional dis advantage because of the small space.

She took a moment to wonder at the weird way she was always thinking of things like that as she descended the dark stairway. It was painfully obvious that she was basically at the mercy of this huge man walking behind her and whoever else was here watching her. Though she was sure they'd all die horribly and painfully if they ever did anything to her. But the thought of being so completely powerless made her slightly jumpy and nervous.

The light from the open door at the top of the stairway only helped her see so much. She strained to try to see the door that she was sure was at the bottom of the stairs. Giving up she put out a hand to stop her once it hit the door. Her plan worked and she fumbled a bit looking for the door's handle. Seconds later she found it and opened the door. The resulting light was a shock to her eyes, but they adjusted quickly as she blinked away the blur.

The door had opened up to a slightly larger room than the one they had just been in. There was a large flat screen tv sitting on what looked like a coffee table against one wall and several couches and chairs arranged in a typical living room setup in one half of the room. In the other half, the one farthest from her was a decent sized dining table. And around it sat Devon, Sniper, and a little man that she didn't know. There were two seats left open, presumably for Ann and Bear. Ann awkwardly walked over and took one of the empty seats, putting her next to Sniper. She felt much better seeing people she knew. Though, they didn't at all seem happy to see her. Sniper looked overall unaffected, but Devon looked uncomfortable to have her there. Probably because he knew Joker wouldn't approve. The third man that she didn't know looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Hi guys." She said to Devon and Sniper. They both looked at each other then waved at her. "Ah, forbidden from speaking to me." They both nodded.

Bear took the open seat to her left. "That's Donald." He said pointing to the little man, who waved nervously. "We all just call him Hackman." Bear told her. She smiled and waved back to him, taking the time to look him over. He was short, around her height, and had brown hair that was slightly balding. He was wearing a checkered shirt.

"Why do people call you Hackman?" She asked him curiously. He blushed when she spoke to him, like he wasn't used to talking to women. "I hack things." He told her.

"Oh, like with computers?" She asked. He nodded. She was suddenly thoughtful. Obviously Bear and Hackman were either new to Joker's posse or she simply hadn't met them until now. The question in her mind was why Hackman was there. There was no questioning Bear's presence. He was obviously backup muscle. But why would Joker need a hacker?

She looked at Hackman suspiciously. "Did you ever hack me?" She asked, expecting an honest answer. The four men looked at each other, obviously not knowing what to say. Hackman looked embarrassed, but nodded. Well, that answered her question.

"You'll, um, you'll be happy to know that it wasn't easy. And it didn't help us find you… either." He told her, hoping to gain her forgiveness. She sighed, but gave him a small smile, telling him she knew it wasn't his fault.

"Well, are we goinna play cards, or what?" Devon proclaimed before grabbing the deck of cards and shuffling them. Ann and Sniper both looked at him like he was insane. He stopped and looked at Sniper. "What? He didn't say we couldn't talk around her. Just that we couldn't talk 'to' her." He stated. Sniper looked skeptical.

"Awe c'mon! It's nothing worse than her being down here playing cards. We all know how J would feel about that." He stated. Everyone looked uncomfortable at that particular comment.

"Jeez, it's like your all afraid of him jumping out of a closet or something. I'm not exactly happy with his recent decisions anyways. Let's just have a good time and play poker." Devon said to the group. Everyone agreed and Devon finally began dealing the cards.

Several games later and Ann had already picked up on how to win easily with the group. Sniper and Bear were her hardest opponents. Devon was easy to read. When he had a good hand he would spend more time looking at the cards and seemed to be afraid someone would look over his shoulder and see his good luck. Hackman had initially taken her a bit to figure out. He always looked nervous. But she began to notice that he would scratch his balding head and look disappointed when he didn't have a good hand.

Ann was having trouble picking up on Bears ticks. He had a very good poker face, but she had managed to win against him a few times. Sniper was the real issue. His face was like a mask. No emotion or registration ever passed on his face. And Ann realized he was like this on a normal basis. She knew he was incredibly smart. But he never showed anything. She was beginning to get frustrated with trying to figure him out.

Between Sniper and Bear they could easily kick her out of the game if they teamed up. And she didn't like that. They weren't playing with real money, but with a set of poker chips. Each person had been given their own stack of chips equal to everyone else's.

Ann was up from what she had started with. But Sniper was up higher. Bear was about the same as her. Devon and Hacker were the ones losing.

Then she had an idea. It might work if she played some subtle mind tricks on them. She had a bad hand consisting of and ace, a deuce, a jack, an 8, and a 6. Basically she had nothing. But instead of keeping her mask of indifference, she let herself smirk a bit. Devon was the first to notice. He immediately folded. Her smirk grew a bit. Now it was Hackman's turn. He took a cue from Devon and folded as well. Bear was next. He looked her over and weighed his options. He had obviously noticed her smirk. After considering a moment he folded as well. It was her turn and she tossed a chip in the pot, and then looked at Sniper, wondering what he would do. It was all up to him now. If he folded she'd win and no one would see her cards. But if he called her they would show their cards and everyone would know she was bluffing. He folded.

Success!

She laid her cards down and pulled the pile of chips to her side of the table. This went on for a while. She would smile when her cards were bad and frown when they were good. After about three games she switched it up and did the opposite.

This worked very well for a while. It kept everyone thrown off. And it solved her problems with Bear. But Sniper was still being a problem. She began to realize that it didn't matter what everyone else did. He simply played the cards according to his hand. If it was a good hand he'd raise or call and if it was bad he'd fold. There wasn't much she could do about this. She decided to change her tactics a bit. In addition to her fake tells, she would fold when Sniper raised, raise when he folded, and call when he called. This ensured that she would only go up against him on the calls, and she had a 50/50 chance to win those.

It didn't help her get any advantage over him. But it did keep them on the level.

After a while Ann got bored. So she decided to stir up a little trouble. She knew Devon would go along with it. But she had no idea what Sniper would do.

"So, where'd the clown run off to?" Ann asked Devon. He opened his mouth to answer but Sniper kicked him under the table, effectively silencing him. Devon glared at Ann for trying to trick him. While she had his attention she pointedly looked at Hacker. His face furrowed in confusion then lit up in realization at what she was trying to so.

Devon nudged the computer nerd to his right. "Hey, tell Ann later that J had some business with the mob and that he said something about collecting an insurance policy." He told the man without looking her way. Sniper looked up at Devon, as if to say 'wtf dude'. Ann couldn't help but snicker. Devon shrugged. "I'm not talking to her." He told Sniper simply. Bear rubbed a hand over his face, probably thinking that this was a bad idea.

Ann couldn't help but wonder if Jak's 'business' had anything to do with Maroni. She hoped not, as it would inevitably drag Misa and Reign into it. And an insurance policy was usually something you use to get someone to talk. Blackmail maybe? So he was going to try to blackmail her?

They were in between games now. Bear took the opportunity to walk to a mini fridge that was on the floor against the wall. He pulled out a 6 pack of Budweiser and brought it to the table. Ann was ecstatic to see alcohol. She contemplated the idea of her becoming an alcoholic. Bear handed out a beer to everyone. Hackman was the only one who refused. Ann popped the cap off the beer bottle and happily took a long drink.

"So how long you guys think he'll be gone?" She asked, leaving it open for anyone to answer. Bear may not have given her any information, but that didn't mean she couldn't get it some other way.

Devon looked at Sniper. "What did he say, dude? I don't remember." Sniper sighed. "He told us to wait for his return. He never said when that would be." Sniper said without looking up from his cards.

"Basically, he disappeared. He could walk through that door in five minutes or a week from now. We have no way of knowing." Devon elaborated to no one in particular.

"Or he could be here already…." A malicious voice trailed off from the corner. Everyone either swiveled or looked up, startled, across the room.

Joker, decked out in his full clown prince of crime glory, was leaning against the wall on the far side of the room. Ann made a glance at the only two possible doors that could lead downstairs. He wasn't anywhere near either of them. She shivered. There was no way to know how long he'd been there.

Fresh anger flooded through her. Anger at all the crap that had happened between them, for him kidnapping her and taking her against her will, for actually allowing his goons to shoot at her, and mostly because of the children that he had killed just to get to her.

She stood in an angry flurry and before anyone could do anything to stop her she grabbed her beer by the neck at hurled it as hard as she could at his face.

It never made its target. He simply raised his hand and effortlessly pushed the bottle away from his face as it hurled in his direction. It hit the wall several feet to the right of where he was leaning and burst into a shower of shattered brown glass and beer.

Everyone at the table was instantly on their feet. Bear made a move to grab her but Sniper beat him to it, holding her arms behind her back like a vice. She had to stand on her toes to keep contact with the ground. But she made no move to resist. She just glared at the man across the room. Devon and Hackman both looked incredibly shocked at her sudden change of mood.

Joker made a motion with his hand and Sniper suddenly let her go and she stumbled slightly. "I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Come here and I'll forget your outburst." He told her.

"I have a better idea, you can go join a circus and fuck off." She told him.

He sighed and pushed himself off the wall and smoothly made his way to her. She tried to back up, but she bumped into Sniper. Bear was to her left and the table to her right. She had nowhere to go.

She had the thought of jumping up onto the table or trying to roll under it, but he had already made it to her. He grabbed her roughly by the upper arm and pulled her towards the door that led up stairs. Of course, she struggled. And of course, she got nowhere with it.

He literally dragged her up the stairs, not stopping when she stumbled and nearly fell. Only his hold on her arm had kept her from face planting. This was when she began a barrage of curses and insults hurled in his direction.

Once at the top of the stairs he continued to drag her down the hall way. She dug in her heels and tried twisting away and yanking her arm free. No luck, he was holding her too tight. She kicked at him, but he was going too fast for her to fully catch her balance. So her kicks at his shins were ineffective.

He stopped at a door halfway down the hallway, causing her to stumble into him. The door looked exactly like the door to the room she had awoken in. But it had several locks on the outside. He threw the door open. "This is your time out room. Try not to breath." He told her before shoving her inside. She landed on her hands and knees as he slamming the door. She heard the locks on the outside clicking into place. She shouted more curses at him as his footfalls were heard walking away.

It was completely pitch black. The floor had padding that immediately made her think of a padded cell in some loony bin. She wobbled as she stood and began feeling for a light switch. The walls, not surprisingly, were also padded. The door was also. There wasn't even a door knob on this side. There wasn't a light switch on the walls. She felt around in thin air looking for a pull string, but was unsuccessful. After feeling her way all the way around the room, which didn't take long, she determined that the room was only about 12 square feet. 6 feet by 6 feet.

A sharp click from the ceiling made her jump and a slight hiss was heard for a moment.

Oh my God. He warned me not to breathe! What am I not supposed to breathe?

Slight panic took over her and she had to force herself to remain calm. The more freaked out she was the more she would breathe. She immediately sank to the floor by the door trying to avoid whatever it was she was supposed to avoid. She couldn't smell anything strange and the air didn't taste funny. After several minutes went by she began to think he was just screwing with her. Maybe he was trying to make her paranoid.

A soft noise in the corner made her jump. Her eyes darted in the direction of the noise, trying to search through the pitch black.

That's strange. I know I heard something. But the room is empty.

A minute went by and it was still silent. She curled her knees up to her chest and put her back in the corner. Then she laid her head back against the padded wall, intending to go to sleep.

Her eyes shot open, searching again in the dark. A second noise had jerked her back to consciousness. This time it was a little louder. It sounded almost like something walking or shifting on the other side of the room.

This had to be Joker fucking with her. He was somehow making a noise in the room to freak her out.

"I know it's you you fucking ass hole." She told the noise, determined to piss him off. She received no answer. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes again. Several minutes later there was another noise. This was much clearer. Scuffling, like an animal. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the realization.

She still wasn't beyond the thought that somehow Joker was the one making the noises. But now she was much more open to the possibility that he wasn't.

She scooted over to the door, keeping her back to the wall and elbowed the door several times. "Hey, open the door!" She yelled. After a minute there was no response. She tried again.

A low animalistic growl came at her from the empty end of the room. She screamed and jumped to her feet, ready to fend off the animal, now identified as a dog or some other k9. But nothing ever came at her or attacked her. She banged on the door with her fist, still keeping her back against the door.

Thoughts of crazed hounds and bloody dog attack victims flashed through her mind, as did several werewolf movies that she had often found enjoyable. None of it felt enjoyable now.

"It's not funny anymore Jak! Let me out!" She screamed. Another growl, this time louder and closer to her. She shrieked and kicked out in the direction of the sound. Her foot hit empty air. She banged on the door louder and a bit more insistently, screaming for someone to open the door.

Her breathing was rapid and she was slightly hysterical. She couldn't see it. She had no idea where it was or when it would attack her. And she had no way of knowing how big or mean the dog was. But it had sounded big.

Common sense went out the window when she heard the sound right next to her face. A completely vicious and unnatural sounding scream of a growl. She whirled, lashing out with her fists at the creature. But again, she hit nothing. She hadn't even comprehended that there's no way a dog could be standing that tall.

Giving up all modesty or reservations she shrieked and screamed for help, banging on the door with all the strength she had.

The door to the room opened suddenly. With no warning at all she tumbled forward out of the room and into a pair of solid arms. She didn't care that it was Joker at that point. She had a death grip around the his neck and she wasn't about to let go. She rambled, insisting that they 'kill it' over and over while she cried into the Joker's shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her in her hysterics.

"Jesus, that shit really works." Devon commented from beside him. He had been panicked the entire time she had been in the room. He'd almost attacked Bear trying to come help her once she started screaming. Sniper was behind him. He had the most disgusted look on his face. It was the only visible emotion Joker had ever seen him show. Ann had passed out in his arms moments earlier.

"I told you, it's potent." Joker commented on Devon's remark. Sniper whirled and walked back down the hall, obviously pissed off about something.

Joker picked her up and carried her back down the hallway, stopping at the door closest to hers. Devon had followed. Joker gave him a look that said he wasn't welcome and Devon turned and left. Joker opened the door and walked in to his room.

There were a few significant differences in this room than the one he had put her in. For one the bed was bigger, and more comfortable. The room was bigger over all. He had installed a tv on the wall. Not like he'd ever watch it.

He laid her on the bed and took her coat off her. A clock on a table by the bed said it was 4:48 am. It was going to be a long day. He took off her boots and tossed them on the floor before pulling the covers up over her. Sitting on the other side of the bed he pulled off his purple coat and shoes, then his vest and shirt.

A final glance at her brought a smile to his face. Just having her in his presence again brightened his moods.


	7. Chapter 7

She must have been tossing and turning in bed for close to an hour, trying to force herself to continue to sleep. She had the most awful headache, and she didn't feel the least bit interested in facing the day.

Finally she forced herself to sit up. Blood rushing to her head from the movement made her head pound. She remembered the events from the previous day. But the last bit of it was fuzzy. It was almost like remembering a nightmare. Surely she hadn't dreamt the entire thing. She shivered involuntarily.

It was obvious that she had been put in a different room. The bed was much more comfortable and the room was bigger than the previous one. A clock on a table next to the bed told her it was 2:34 pm. She must have slept through the entire day.

A folded piece of paper next to the clock caught her attention. She reached for it; wincing at the pain it caused her head. She unfolded the note.

Take a shower. When your ready, I'll be waiting for you. We'll talk over breakfast.

-J

She really didn't feel like talking. All she really wanted to do was drown herself in a bottle to get rid of the horrible head pain. She pulled the covers off herself, noting that her boots and coat were discarded in the floor. She pulled off her tank top and tossed it on the floor with her coat and boots. Then she walked to the closet that matched the one in the previous room. As expected, there were several sets of clothes there for her, as well as one of her dresses. The knee length black one with the sparkles. He must have liked it.

She grabbed a fresh shirt and pair of pants before going to check out the bathroom.

The bathroom was a bit bigger than the other one. The bath tub was bigger and the shower head could be removed to better wash yourself. But it still had that annoying clear shower curtain. She rolled her eyes again.

She put the lid to the toilet seat down and laid her folded clothes on top of it before inspecting the door. She was happy to find that it locked. She gratefully shut and locked the door. She wasn't dumb enough to think it would keep him out if he really wanted inside. But it would give her a few seconds of warning at least, not to mention a false sense of security.

She folded the shower curtain over its bar to get it out of the way then turned on the hot water and plugged the tub. Screw a shower. She was going to have a nice long relaxing bath. She turned the cold nob until the water was a comfortably warm temperature then waited for the tub to fill.

While she was waiting she pulled off her pants and tossed them on the floor by the door. She un-hooked her bra and tossed it onto the toilet with the clean clothes. When she did something clattered to the floor at her feet. She nearly had a heart attack. It was her Swiss army knife.

She remembered hooking it onto her bra when she went out with Misa, Connor, and Sal. She had completely forgotten all about it.

**I told you I could have helped**.

Why the hell didn't you say anything?!

**You were rude**.

Ann mentally groaned and picked up the knife. At least she had some form of weapon if she should need it. She also had a way of escape. She contemplated going straight to the other room to try to escape through the window. But something stopped her.

He said he wanted to talk.

She decided she would hear him out. If it went well then maybe there would be no reason to try to escape. And if it went badly she could always use the knife to loosen the bolts later. She hid the knife in her clean clothes then removed her panties and stepped into the steamy water.

She sank as far as she could in the hot water, letting it sooth her aching neck and shoulders and relax her body. She could feel her headache seeping away with the steam.

After she was relaxed enough she lathered her body with the soap that she found in the shower then washed her hair with the shampoo. Unlike in the other room, there was no conditioner in here.

When she finally felt ready to face whatever was coming her way she pulled the drain and stepped out onto the cold tile floor. The water was cold by now anyway. She dried herself off with one of the towels on a nearby shelf and dressed herself in the clean clothes. She also clipped her knife back onto her bra where she had found it.

She quietly unlocked and opened the bathroom door, looking around the room. It was still empty. There were no windows in this room. But she did notice the tv. She thought about ignoring his peace invitation to breakfast and just watching his tv instead. But she dismissed the thought. As usual, curiosity got the better of her. She walked to the bed and re-read his note. He hadn't said 'where' to go to find him for breakfast. Annoyed at his vagueness she opened the only other door in the room and glanced around the hallway. The door to the other room she had woken up in was directly to her right.

She quietly made her way down the hall. She didn't miss the door on her way that had multiple locks on it. She shivered and kept going. At the end of the hall Bear and Sniper were sitting on the couch watching the small tv. Sniper's ever present rifle was leaning in the corner next to the couch. Ann was surprised when Sniper's face lit up at her arrival, flashing several emotions that quickly faded back to his mask of indifference. It was almost like he was trying to silently communicate with her. Without saying a word, the both of them simply pointed towards the door that lead downstairs. She smiled her gratitude at them before opening the door and descended into the darkness.

Once she made it to the bottom she slowly opened the door and peaked out. Joker was sitting in the spot she had sat during poker the night before, his feet propped lazily on the table while he balanced on the chair's back two legs. His attention was on the tv across the room. She stood at the doorway watching him a moment, unsure how to make her presence known. She half expected him to already know she was there and tell her to stop stalling or something. But he seemed completely oblivious to her presence. For a brief second she thought about kicking the chair out from under him and laughing at him as he fell on his ass. He was almost asking for it the way he was leaning the chair back.

But she wanted this conversation to go good. And she was sure that doing something to insult his pride wouldn't help.

After a moment of consideration she gave in. Not knowing what else to do she simply walked to the chair across from him and sat down. Once she crossed his peripheral vision, his eyes followed her the whole way, making her more uncomfortable. He stared at her, and she stared back. After a moment his eyes flicked back to the television. Her eyes narrowed. He spent all this effort to get her stuck here so he could talk to her, and now he was ignoring her in favor of the tv?

After a minute she cleared her throat, showing him her annoyance. He glanced back at her. "Are you going to play nice today?" He asked her. His tone made it seem almost like he was scolding a child.

"Are 'you'?" She shot back. He laughed at her softly under his breath. She crossed her arms. She was beginning to think this wouldn't go as well as she had hoped.

He turned, setting the chair back on all four feet and propped his elbows on the table. "How much from last night do you remember?" He asked, making her feel like she was missing something. She frowned in confusion. "I remember everything from last night." She told him. She was certain. But her mind went over the evening anyways, looking for anything she may have missed.

She back tracked to playing poker with the guys, Joker making his appearance, throwing the beer bottle at him, then him dragging her to that dark room. Then it hit her. She didn't remember ever going to sleep in the bedroom. Had she nodded off in the padded cell? Did he carry her back to the bed? Surely she would have woken up.

She glanced back up at him, realizing she was in fact missing something. When she noticed the light in his eyes she knew he had been studying her while she thought it over.

"I just looove watching you think." He commented.

She glared at him, seething at his sarcasm.

"Here's how this is goinna work, babe-"

"Babe?" She interrupted, annoyed with the pet name.

He tisked, "See, this'll go a lot faster with less interruptions." He told her. She sneered at him in return. "Did you seriously just call me babe?" She asked, beginning to get pissed.

"Okay, I'll just ignore your random outbursts of pms. I know you can't help it." He stated, and was about to continue when she abruptly stood, slamming her palms down on the table. "PMS? Fuck you! You can kiss the darkest part of my ass!" She yelled.

His eyes narrowed. "Sit down!" He yelled back. He never stood up. But his voice was so pissed and menacing she almost instantly took her seat. Once again, she felt like a naughty child that was in for a scolding.

"So basically, I came to the conclusion that I can't get a damn thing done lately. And the reason for that is I'm constantly chasing you." He leaned forward, intimidating her into leaning back away from him, even though there was a table between them. "This is a problem for me." He told her darkly.

She was silent as he continued his intimidating stare. Finally he leaned back. "Here's what's going to happen. Until you work through whatever issue you seem to be having-"

She found her voice, and her confidence, by interrupting him again. "You know exactly what my issue is!" She yelled at him, indignant that he was trying to blame the entire situation on her.

He closed his eyes a moment and took a deep breath, obviously trying not to lose his temper. When he spoke again his voice was quieter, but a bit darker. "Your issues are your problem. As I recall, you had no problem when I had fun with Batman until you became friends with him. I haven't changed. You did. I've told you before, your friends are your weakness." He paused a moment to let that sink in.

"Until you work through your issues, you'll be staying here. So long as your good, you can move around the top two floors. Ground floor is off limits." She was an instant away from another outburst, but a warning look prompted her to hold her tongue. "For the moment, no one is allowed to speak to you or in your presence. That may change later, if you obey the rules."

She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Since when do you like rules?" She asked him. He clicked his tongue at her. "For that matter, when have you ever known me to work well with rules? You really expect me to go along with all this?" She asked him. His eyes narrowed.

"As for escaping, I happen to know about a certain someone currently stuck in a hospital. It'd be a shame if someone were to blow up that hospital out of spite." She started to question him. But he beat her to it. "And don't try to say I wouldn't do it. I most definitely would. And it would be because you decided to run away again." He told her.

Fuck…

She realized he was right. At this point he was willing to do anything if it meant keeping her here and resolving this. Questioning if he would really do it or not didn't matter. Because the fact was, there would always be that chance that he would. And she would never take that risk.

At least for the moment, she was stuck here.

He could see the defeat in her eyes. He smiled and rested his arms back on the table, finally satisfied.

"Okay. What are these stupid rules?" She finally asked. He smirked. "Basically stay here, don't go on the ground floor, and don't piss me off." He told her.

The first two she could deal with. Obviously she wasn't going to leave. Not while Jasmine's life was in question. And she was fairly certain she could hold off her curiosity and avoid the ground floor. But to avoid pissing him off would be another matter entirely.

"Do I get my cell phone back?" She asked. He shook his head. "Fine, what happens if I piss you off?" She asked. He leaned in towards her. "You found out last night, or don't you remember?" He asked.

She frowned in confusion again. "The padded room? Solitary confinement is hardly a punishment." She commented.

He leaned back in his chair, obviously thinking something over. After a moment he leaned forward again, looking hard at her. "Try to think real hard. What happened after I threw you into the dark room?" He asked her.

She did as he suggested and thought back really hard. She remembered screaming curses at him. Then sinking down to the floor and leaning against the wall. Then there was some kind of irrational paranoia. But she couldn't quite place what it was. That was when she remembered the dream. Like she was in some kind of werewolf movie. She gasped out loud.

"Did I hallucinate?" She asked, concern lacing her voice. He leaned closer still, telling her with his eyes that she could do better than that.

No, he had somehow caused her to hallucinate. Temporarily losing her mind would be the punishment for breaking his rules. But how had he managed to do it? Then she remembered the night years back when the crazy psychiatrist from Arkham had unleashed some kind of fear toxin on the city.

Her mouth dropped open when she thought about just exactly what he had done, and was threatening to do again. "You drugged me?!" She nearly screamed. He tilted his head. "Technically I gassed you. Drugged sounds so…. sadistic." He corrected her.

She stood abruptly. "No. There's a limit. A freakin line that you don't cross!" She yelled at him. His eyebrows quirked in amusement. "You can't just throw me in a room, drug me, give me hallucinations, then expect me to fall back in your arms and call you my savior!" She continued. He laughed at her.

"Funny, that's exactly what happened once I opened the door." He commented through his laughter. She turned to leave, headed back to the stairs that went up.

"Where are you going?" He asked. He sounded almost insulted that she would leave. "Away from you!" She yelled. She slammed the door and walked up the stairs in the dark, nearly stumbling several times in her anger. A moment later the door opened and she could hear his footsteps following her. She reached the top floor and then slammed that door as well.

Sniper and Bear just watched as she stormed through the small room and down the hallway. Moments later Joker stormed through after her.

When she reached the end of the hallway she wasn't sure which room to barricade herself in. After a moment of indecision she chose the room she had originally woken up in. She yanked the door open and turned to slam it in his face. She was too slow. He stuck his foot in the door just as it was about to shut. A second later he slammed his palm against the door and she jumped back as the door flew open.

He stood in the doorway glowering at her. She was out of places to go. He had her cornered.

"Just stay away from me!" She yelled. He walked towards her anyways. She backed up. "I'm not going to just go away. I'm standing right here. Face your problems." He told her. Silence.

He took another step. He could see it; she was on a ledge, about to jump off. She just needed a little push….

"Admit it to yourself! Your being a drama queen! You didn't have a damn problem until you got chummy with that pretty boy!" He yelled at her. She twitched. "I'm allowed to have whatever friends I choose! You can't control me!" She yelled back.

"You have a jealousy issue! That's what the problem is!" She yelled. That was all it took. His temper snapped in half.

He lunged at her, closing the distance between them fast. She sidestepped, trying to use his momentum against him. But he was too fast. He caught her by the hair and threw her onto the bed beside him. He was on top of her a second later. She struggled against him, but it was no good. She knew it. It didn't take long for him to have her hands pinned under her, using her own weight as leverage. His right hand was buried in her hair.

She sneered at him and struggled some more. But all she succeeded in doing was wiggle under him. He jerked her hair slightly, forcing her to tilt her head back and expose her neck.

"Your not doing too good in the rules department, love." He growled in her ear. Her shoulders burned from the strain and her headache was coming back in full swing.

"Get off me." She growled at him. He tisked at her. "Your not in the position to be making demands of me." He told her.

"Now, explain to me the difference. A year ago you were decked out in your leather, face painted, shooting at the bat. And now, your pissed off because I'm doing the same thing I've always done. Why exactly is that?" He asked. His voice was calm, but she could still sense the current of anger flooding through him. She knew he was right. She just wouldn't admit it. "I haven't changed. The problem here is you got close to two natural enemies. And now you have a guilty conscience."

She looked away from him. "I'll admit that when you admit your jealous." She told him. He laughed. Suddenly he was off her and she was free. She instantly jumped up, facing off with him again.

"That's what it takes?" He held his arms wide open. "That's all you wanted?" He asked. She wasn't sure she liked where this was going. She backed away from him. Determination was written all over his face. "Fine!"

Almost immediately she was pinned against the wall, his body pressing against hers. "You are mine." He said in a sinister voice. "I have every right to be angry when someone else tries to claim you." His lips were on hers a moment later. The searing kiss was the most passionate she could ever remember.

It didn't last nearly long enough. It had been much to long since he had kissed her. Her knees went weak as he pulled back and broke the kiss. He was smirking. "I was jealous. Now it's your turn." He told her.

She had to rewind her mind to what exactly she was supposed to say. Her thoughts were fuzzy. "You were right. I felt guilty. And I'm sorry I made you jealous." She told him quietly.

He leaned his forehead against hers. "That wasn't so hard. Was it?" He asked her.

Ten minutes later they were back at the table on the second floor. She was stuffing her face with pancakes and bacon while he watched her with amusement. By now Sniper had joined them in the room. Though Ann couldn't tell why. Joker had never called for him. But she shrugged it off. If he was there then there was probably a reason for it.

The mayor was on the tv announcing Harvey Dent day. Ann didn't really know what all had happened with Misa's old boss. But the media was claiming that Dent had died trying to protect the commissioner's family from Batman. Ann knew that was a load of crap. She was willing to bet it was the other way around. But it didn't really have anything to do with her. So she just watched in mild interest.

A news report came on, announcing that the orphans had been found in an abandoned building near the dock yards and were all accounted for and unharmed.

 

Ann glanced at Joker, who seemed uninterested in the television. 

"So you were never going to kill anyone to begin with, huh." She mused, annoyed he had so easily fooled her. 

"I never said I was." He commented. She was about to argue, but he beat her to it. "I said I'd blow up the building and kill anyone inside. Seeing as there was no one inside, no one died." Ann glared at him, but let the subject drop. 

 

Because of their earlier break through Joker had basically lifted the 'restrictions' that he had placed on her. Though he was still adamant about having to stay on the top two floors. And she still wasn't allowed to leave.

When Ann was almost finished eating Sniper coughed discreetly, getting Joker's attention. "Which one of us is going to watch her?" He asked. She glared at the two of them. She didn't like the way she felt like a child that needed to be watched. Joker glanced at her. "No need. She can come with us." He answered, a smirk growing on his face.

"Just where are we going?" Ann asked.

"Bank. Been short on cash." He told her.

"Ah, that explains the plastic cutlery." She mused. He smirked. "Cash isn't one of my main concerns. But I 'do' have employees to feed." She laughed.

Was she actually having a normal conversation with him? He wasn't trying to get in her head or seduce her. It was so, well, normal. And normal was definitely NOT normal for him.

"So, you're the expert. When's the best time to hit a bank?" she asked, curious. "Usually between 2 and 4." He replied. Now she was more curious. "Why's that?" She asked. He smirked at her. "It's right after they take their lunch. Their contented enough to be completely shocked at the robbery. Shocked people fight back less. And it's late enough in the day that everyone's exhausted and just wants to go home." He told her. Her eye brows rose in surprise. "Clearly you've though this through." She commented. He shrugged. "I've had time to perfect the technique." She laughed.

This was nice. He was actually talking to her. She was definitely enjoying this.

"We might have a bit of a problem if your going with us." He commented after a minute. She scowled. "Why's that?" She asked.

"Well technically you're a kidnap victim. Can't have you flashing around that beautiful auburn hair and prize winning smile."

Wow. Crazy flattery.

She smiled. "Well I get the hair, but my smile is hardly 'prize winning'." She told him. A half faked smile came over his face. "Well, you don't smile that often." He commented.

Damn did that speak volumes.

"Okay, so I guess I can't go." She said, a bit disappointed. Strange, it's not exactly normal to be disappointed in not getting to be part of a bank robbery. But she was. Just a bit. It would be nice to get out of the rut she'd been in lately.

He tisked. "Not necessarily."

Twenty minutes later she had swapped her leather jacket for a black hoodie. She had pulled her hair back into a pony tail and had the hood up. They were about to leave. The van was already running outside. Ann was a bit sketchy on the details. But basically, they would go in guns blazing, somehow the alarms would be taken care of and apparently so would the safe. Though she had no idea how. Her job was to hold down the hostages with Joker, Devon, and Bear. Joker had given her a rushed run down of everything as he packed hand grenades in a duffle bag. But she hadn't caught what everyone else was doing. Only what she was supposed to do.

If she had to guess, she would bet that Hackman would be the one to take care of the alarms. Since Sniper wouldn't be on hostage control, she was assuming he had something to do with the safe. But she wasn't sure.

She didn't like the grenade idea. Apparently they were going to hand out these grenades to the hostages to keep them from using their hands. All it would take is one idiot with butterfingers for the whole thing to become a disaster. Or it could be worse. Someone with experience with grenades could wind up being the end of all of them.

When she voiced these concerns to Joker he just laughed and went about his business. A few minutes later she was hustled into the back of the van. The van had two bench seats along the walls in the back. She sat next to Joker and Devon. Hackman was driving. Bear took up most of the room on the other side, and Sniper was beside him. It was the first time she had ever seen him without his rifle. She could hardly believe he had left it behind, though she supposed he would have no need of it. So it would only be in the way.

Shortly before they reached their destination Joker handed her a plastic clown mask. She smirked at the happy smiling face of a clown on the mask. "Seriously?" She asked. Everyone in the back of the van (except Joker) held up their own mask.

Ann took notice that Sniper looked more tense than usual. It was almost like he was nervous. Surely he had done this hundreds of times. But then again, it's hardly weird to be nervous right before you rob a bank. So she ignored it.

The van pulled into an alley behind the bank. Hackman got out and disappeared around the side of the van. Ann noticed that Joker looked at his watch as Hackman disappeared. Sniper reached across the van and handed her a machine gun. "You know how to work it?" He asked. She gave him an insulted look. He held up his hands in defense and sat back. She nudged Joker. "What's the protocol for shooting people?" She asked him quietly. He leaned over closer to her. "If they shoot at you, you shoot back." He told her. She nodded.

She was beginning to get jumpy. She couldn't tell if it was the excitement or being nervous.

Joker wasn't the only one watching the time. A few minutes went by and a knock jerked at her awareness. Sniper had knocked on the side of the van and then opened the doors. Everyone put on their masks and filed out the back. Ann was caught in the shuffle of it and just followed everyone else.

Oddly enough, she was nervous. She'd been in countless situations like this with Joker before. But this was the first time that she was actually being included in it. She felt pressure to not screw up or something.

The group ran in a line around the building and through a side door that lead into the main lobby of the bank. A couple of her accomplices shot off rounds at the ceiling and everyone in the bank dropped to the floor, and several people screamed. Sniper promptly disappeared through a door behind the counter while everyone else was either watching the hostages or pulling bank tellers over the counter out into the lobby floor.

Ann and Joker stood guard while Bear and Devon handed out the grenades. After a few minutes Hackman showed back up, presumably finished doing his job. A few minutes later Sniper poked his masked face through the door and motioned for a few to follow him. Hackman, Bear and Devon followed him through the door with a bunch of empty duffle bags, leaving Ann and Joker to watch the hostages.

Only problem with that was he wasn't watching the hostages. He was watching her.

She could feel his eyes burning holes in her back as she paced in front of the scared and shaking hostages. Unlike him, she was actually doing what she was supposed to. He was probably relying on his feared reputation to keep the people in check.

Ann kept herself busy by watching for eyes. You could always tell who was planning to make trouble by their eyes. A normal, scared shitless hostage would do anything possible to avoid bringing attention to themselves. But someone thinking about making trouble would be watching their captors, waiting for the perfect timing.

She didn't have to watch the hostages long. Thankfully the boys in the back finished and within a few minutes were hauling the duffle bags back into the lobby. This spurred Joker into movement as he grabbed a few, slinging them over his shoulders. Ann followed suit, picking up several of the bags. They were a lot heavier than they looked. She made sure to keep an eye on the hostages as she did so.

Ann couldn't help but be impressed when she noticed Bear was carrying four bags, and still picking them up. He stopped at 6. The rest of the guys carried the remaining bags as they all rushed back the way they had come and back outside. Joker was the last one out. Ann couldn't help but smile when he flashed his Glasgow smile at the nearby camera before exiting after the others.

Back in the van Ann was on an adrenaline rush. She had the biggest smile on her face, hidden behind the mask. But she kept her cool, acting like she could care less about what was going on. In reality, she couldn't remember ever being so happy. Not only had she just pulled off a bank robbery, but she had done so 'with' the Joker. He had actually allowed her to participate. He had shared his world with her. And she was currently high on it.

They had only been driving for a few minutes before sirens could be heard. Luckily, they were headed for the bank, and Joker and his gang were already long gone.

She chanced a glance at Joker, who was sitting at the back of the van and on the opposite side from her. She was sitting more towards the front. His eyes were on her already. A sinister smile creeping on his face. Her own face was still hidden behind the mask. But he could see her eyes. He could communicate wonders through the simple look from his eyes to hers.

A shiver ran up her back from the look he was giving her.

The van soon came to a halt back at the warehouse. Everyone piled out the back. Ann started to follow, only to hesitate when Joker remained where he was sitting by the door. He still had that malicious smile on his face. She slowly sat back down.

The two of them watched and waited in silence as the guys pulled the bags of cash out the back. Sniper grabbed the last bag and stood at the van's door, waiting. Ann was staring at Joker, waiting for him to move. But out of the corner of her eye she barely caught a glare that Sniper sent towards the clown.

"Be a pal n shut the door." Joker said without looking in his direction. Ann gulped. Sniper slammed the door.

Neither of them moved. They just stared at each other. After at least a full minute of uncomfortable silence, he moved towards her. The second he moved she stiffened. But his intentions weren't as malicious as his grin was. He sat opposite her before slowly reaching across and pulling up the mask that still covered her face. "I think you can take this off now." He commented.

Now she just felt stupid. Everyone else had taken off their masks on the ride back. But it had given her a small amount of comfort, knowing that with it on he couldn't see her facial expression.

He sat back. "Have a good time?" He asked. A slight blush crept on her face. But she nodded. He smirked. "The life of a criminal suits you." He told her. She felt slightly out of her element with this conversation. She leaned back slightly, wondering what his point was and what he was trying to accomplish with trapping her in the van with him.

Her skepticism didn't go unnoticed. He smirked at her. "Wondering what I'm up to?" It was only half a question. He already knew she was. She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for him to come clean with whatever he was trying to pull.

He held up his hands in self-defense. "No tricks. Just thought you'd enjoy a conversation." He told her.

She was still unwilling to believe it. "Since when do you make it a habit for normal conversations?" She asked, making it a point to be a bit sarcastic. He had a purpose for this. She was sure of it.

He gave her a slightly confused look. "Everyone has conversations." He argued. She glared. "You know that's not what I mean." She countered.

He leaned forward resting his chin on his knuckles. "Why don't you enlighten me then?"

"You don't have 'normal' conversations for no reason. You always have a point." She told him. He acted like he was thinking for a moment. "Isn't the point of a conversation to communicate?" He asked sarcastically.

She was close to the end of her patience. He was twisting her words around on her. "That's not what I mean!" She raised her voice this time.

He leaned forward more, bringing his face close to hers. "Maybe the 'point' of the conversation was to simply have a conversation." He told her. He closed the distance quickly, leaving a kiss on her lips, before he exited the van through the back door.

His actions left her slightly stunned. She shook it off and quickly followed him.

They were in the large storage area of the warehouse. There were several other cars parked in the area. The entire back wall looked like a maze of large crates and boxes. She hadn't really had much time to look around when they left. Everything was all a rush. Now she took the time to notice the hugeness of the room.

Joker was climbing a metal staircase against the nearest wall that she knew lead to the second floor. But her mind had flashed back to other things. She decided to look for Sniper. She had noticed he had been acting strange. And she wanted to ask him if everything was okay. For some reason she had this nagging feeling like she needed to talk to him.

The sudden sound of a Harley starting up echoed through the large building caught her attention. She walked around the van just in time to see Sniper coast out of the warehouse doors, his ever present rifle slung over his back. She ran after him, hoping to grab his attention before he left. But stopped at the door of the building. She was too late; he was already almost a whole block away.

Disappointed, she turned to go back into the building, only to shiver as a cold breeze swept through the door. She turned, looking up at the door. It was huge, made up of most of one of the buildings walls. It would slide open or closed by pushing it one way or the other. It was open just enough to accommodate a motorcycle. She decided to close the door, seeing as how Sniper hadn't bothered to do so.

She heaved at the door, and it slowly began to slide closed.

When the door was almost completely shut she stopped. The sound of police sirens made her heart leap. They were really close. But she forced herself to calm down. There was no way possible they knew where the hideout was. She finished closing the door and began to make her way towards the stairs.

As she walked she thought it over. They had just robbed a bank. Shouldn't all the cops be there, instead of in this area? The sound of the sirens had gone quiet. She decided to check, just to make sure. So she jogged back to the door and pushed it open a crack.

She nearly had a heart attack. The entire street was filled with police and SWAT teams. She bolted for the stairs.

Moments later she burst through the door to the lounge area in a panic. Devon had just sat down to watch the tv, and Bear was sitting at the table, going through his share of the cash they had just stolen. Both looked startled by her sudden panicked appearance. "Where's J?" she asked frantically.

"Upstairs. Why?" Devon said from the couch.

"Get out of the building, now!" She didn't wait to explain herself. She was already halfway up the second flight of stairs.

She ran through the third floor to the room she had woken up in. Joker was already poking his head out of the door, wondering at the commotion. She grabbed him by the shirt, intent on dragging him all the way through the warehouse if she had to.

"Woah, slow down love." He was laughing at her.

"We need to go now! I don't have time to explain. We have to leave!" She shouted, still trying to drag him towards the door.

He still didn't look like he was taking her very seriously. "Damnit! The cops are goinna raid the building! We have to go now!" She was screaming at him.

At hearing this he burst into action, practically dragging her along behind him. But by the time they got to the bottom of the stairs to the second floor, it was already too late. They collided with Devon and Bear on their way down. Devon was in a near panic, like Ann. "It's the friggin cops!" he yelled. They could all clearly hear the SWAT teams on the first floor. They would be up the stairs soon. Joker didn't even acknowledge him, instead he ran back up the stairs, dragging Ann with him. Devon and Bear followed.

"We need a window." Ann suggested when they stopped in the room at the third floor.

"The only windows that aren't bared are on the second floor." Devon whined. It was too late to go back down now.

Ann's mind clicked into action, remembering her plan with the knife and the bars on the windows. She immediately ran for the back bedroom. Everyone followed her. Bear held back though. He had the good sense to move the couch to block the door. It didn't take him very long before he caught up with the rest of them.

"This is a dead end!" Devon was still panicking. "We can't get out the windows, and all our guns are on the first floor."

Even Bear was beginning to panic. But Joker was watching Ann. He could tell she had a way out. When she pulled the knife out of her bra he nearly flipped. "Block the door." Joker commanded. Devon automatically went to the door and began moving the small table. Bear rolled his eyes. He walked to the bed and easily dragged it across the room. Devon leapt out of the way as Bear shoved it against the door. They were lucky the door opened into the room, instead of out. Ann was already working on the window. But she was having trouble getting it open. Joker gently pushed her away. It seemed he was the only one of them that was actually calm. He heaved at the window frame and it slid up out of the way.

Ann already had the screwdriver bit open on the knife. She leaned through the window trying to get a look at the heavy screws holding the bars in place. There were four, one in each corner. She stared to work on one of the bottom screws. It took a bit of force, but after a moment it broke loose. She stared unscrewing it, steadily freeing it from the bracket on the bar frame. Once it was loose she started on the second. This one wouldn't break. She strained at it, trying to loosen it. The knife slipped off the screw and slid straight into her finger. She yelped and jerked her hand back, profanity slipping from her mouth. Joker immediately took the knife from her as she sucked on her wounded finger. She backed away from the window as he began working on the second screw.

The SWAT team was into the third floor by now. She could hear them moving about, searching the various rooms. It would be mere moments before they reached the last them.

Meanwhile, Joker had freed the bottom of the bars. The top was still held on. But it was at the top of the window. Ann jumped as he bashed the glass at the top of the window. Glass shattered and fell everywhere. He reached his hand through and started on the top.

A bang on the door, most likely a kick to attempt to open it, caused Ann to jump a second time. Bear and Devon immediately put pressure on the other side of the door. Next to Bear Devon seemed useless. But the SWAT team would eventually break down the door. Not a minute later they began trying to do exactly that.

Joker had the third screw loose. That was all that they needed. He had pushed the square frame holding the bars to the right, causing it to pivot around the one remaining screw and open a way through the window.

The banging on the door was getting more violent. They must have brought in some sort of hand held battering ram. Every few seconds the door jarred. The impact was even enough to move Bear slightly.

Ann poked her head out the window. She cursed. "There's no ledge or anything to grab onto. We have to jump." She told them.

"It's a three story drop!" Devon shouted from the door. "We don't have any other choice!" She yelled back.

"It could break your ankles if you land wrong. You have to roll when you land." Joker stated calmly. She wanted to point out that she knew this already. But he had clearly said it for the benefit of the group. Not just her. He ushered her towards the window. She backed away. Something had just dawned on her.

Ann looked back at Devon. "After you." She told him, waiving him out the window. His eyes grew wide. "No way." Joker rolled his eyes. "C'mon, he'll follow. We need to go now." He told her. She shook her head in defiance.

"He won't go unless someone's making him go." She told him. Joker sighed, knowing she was right. "Go." He simply commanded.

"No way am I goinna break my ankle!" Devon yelled. "Fucking shit! Someone just go!" Bear yelled from the door.

"Fuck." Devon sighed. Two seconds later he took a running leap out of the window. Ann and Joker both rushed to the window to look out. Devon was on his ass on the ground.

Bear went next. Instead of running and leaping out of the window he went out slowly because of his huge shoulders. He dropped to the ground and rolled, coming to a stop in a crouch.

Behind them, the SWAT team had gotten the door open and was trying to push against it to move the bed that was blocking their entry.

Joker's eyes on her caught her attention. Suddenly she could tell he was debating something. "We need to go." She told him, preparing herself to leap out of the window.

"You're a hostage." Joker told her calmly. She stopped mid stride towards the window to look back at him. She didn't even see it coming. Sudden blinding pain hit her in the back of her head and she fell to the floor. The sounds of shouts and struggling were the last thing she heard.


	8. Chapter 8

Her first thoughts were more obscene when she awoke. The throbbing head ache that came from being pistol whipped in the back of her skull made her thoughts less than friendly.

Squinting at the nearly blinding light, Ann tried to take in her surroundings. For a moment all was blurry. But her eyes soon began to focus. She was in the back of an ambulance, laying on the rolling bed. The vehicle was parked with the back doors wide open. Outside the red and blue from police lights bounced back and forth on the otherwise dark scenery outside.

Ann sat up in the bed, rubbing the back of her head. Immediately she realized something was horribly wrong when she noticed her right hand was restrained with a set of handcuffs that kept her bound to the beds railing.

Annoyed, she yanked on her wrist in frustration. Some idiot rookie must have slapped the cuffs on her without knowing she was supposed to be a victim.

Several police men were loitering near the back of the ambulance chatting. Probably boosting each other's egos about their raid. She rolled her eyes before calling out to them for some help. They all looked slightly surprised at her. "Hey! She's awake!" One younger officer called to someone. A moment later Connor poked his head around the back of the ambulance.

At seeing Connor Ann was extremely relieved. Finally someone that knew who she was. She smiled at him, happy that she was about to get the handcuffs off her wrist.

"Hey. We didn't think you'd be awake this soon." Connor told her as he climbed into the ambulance and sat next to her. "How long was I unconscious?" She asked him.

"Not sure. Maybe a half hour. Depends how long you were out before we got to you." He told her.

"He was trying to get me out of the window. I remember the police trying to break down the door. I was giving him too much trouble I guess." She told him, lying through her teeth.

"Ah, that explains it then. You must have delayed him just long enough to get him caught. Two of his thugs got away. But we got through the door just in time to catch him before he jumped." Connor told her. Her stomach fell through the floor. It wasn't possible. They had actually caught him?

At least Devon and Bear got out.

"So you actually caught him then?" She asked, more to confirm it than anything else. Connor flashed his teeth in a brilliant smile and nodded. "Yup. No more worries about him bothering you anymore."

For the first time since her father died she actually had the urge to cry. But instead she reigned in her feelings and sent them to the back of her mind for her to use later.

Connor must have mistaken the look on her face as one of relief. He put a hand on her shoulder and gently rubbed small circles in an attempt to comfort her. But there was only one thing on her mind now. First thing first. She needed to find Bear and Devon and figure out how in the hell she was going to get Jak out of jail. She had to do it fast before he ended up in Arkham, or worse, Blackgate Prison.

"Can you take these damn things off please? I want to go home." She told him, pointing to the handcuffs on her wrist.

Connor's smile faded. "See, well, here's the thing…" He hesitated. Her face fell. "Certain people have the idea that you've really been his accomplice. They think you might know something that could help put him away for good. Like you worked for him or something." Connor explained cautiously.

Ann let herself lean back against the bed. "What do you mean?" She asked. He winced. "People think you have a fake life or something. That you're the mysterious woman that gave everyone a hard time awhile back."

"I don't understand this. What people? Who's accusing me of this?" She asked. She couldn't think of anyone that would out her to the cops.

Connor looked uncomfortable. "My boss." He simply said.

"Gordon? Gordon thinks I'm a crazy psychopath killer? But he knows me! He's been there through the whole Joker abduction thing from the start!" She argued. Then she remembered the night Joker blew up the orphanage. She had pleaded with Gordon to let her go to him. And she had revealed part of her past in an attempt to convince him. It had all been for naught. But he was starting to put two and two together.

"So what happens now?" She asked Connor. "Now, since your awake and not injured, the paramedics will check you out. If you don't need a hospital, Gordon wants you taken in for questioning." He told her. At the stricken look on her face he added "Don't worry! I'm sure he won't keep you there. He probably just wants to ask you about it. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." He said reassuringly.

Nothing to worry about? Not likely.

"Look, the sooner we get it all over with the sooner you can go home." He told her. She sighed and nodded. "Okay, I'll go look for the paramedics. I think their treating a few of the SWATs that got injured. I'll be right back." He left the ambulance.

Ann looked down at the handcuffs. They were attached to the metal guard rail of the bed. But the rail looked like it would be easy enough to break away from the bed itself. If she could bust the railing she could try to make a break for it. But then again, if she ran now it would seal her guilt in Gordon's eyes. She would automatically be a wanted fugitive in collaboration with the Joker. And the rest of her life would be spent on the run. Just like him.

She gritted her teeth. She didn't like this situation. Not one bit. But if there was any chance of getting out of this mess with a clear record, she knew she should take it. Even if it meant spending ANOTHER night in jail. So instead of tipping the bed over and kicking the railing with everything she had until it busted loose, she sat and waited for the paramedics to come give the cops a green light to proceed with her arrest.

It didn't take Connor long to reappear. Lucky she had chosen to wait. She probably wouldn't have had time to get away anyway.

One of the paramedics made her follow his finger after checking her heart rate and blood pressure. He examined the small gash on the side of her head from where she must have hit something as she fell.

After she was examined Connor undid the handcuffs before cuffing her hands behind her back and leading her to a nearby police car. He and another cop she didn't know drove her to the police station, where she was fingerprinted (again) and locked in the same stupid cell that she had sat in not so long ago after ramping the bridge trying to escape Bruce. There were a couple of thugs in the cell next to her that kept staring her way. But otherwise, she was alone.

An hour went by with no change. The thugs in the cell had begun cat calling her and whistling. She sat against the wall with her eyes closed, ignoring them.

The sound of boots echoed down the hall. Ann's head shot up, surprising the thugs, who had assumed she was asleep. She jumped to her feet. "Hey! Where's Gordon?!" She yelled at the passing cop. He stopped as he was about to pass her. "He's busy with the freak." He commented before continuing on his way.

Her heart sank. He was here. He was actually here. And they had actually caught him…. because of her.

"Well when will he be done?" She asked, hoping it would be soon. The cop shrugged. "Whenever he gets pissed."

The cop walked off, leaving Ann feeling a little better, knowing Jak was in there giving Gordon hell. And she knew by the time the interview was finished the self-righteous police commissioner would practically be foaming at the mouth.

Her mood dropped again when she realized she'd have to deal with him once Jak was done.

The minutes ticked by slowly. Ann began to feel her eyes getting heavy. Sooner than she would like she began to doze, despite the cold of her cell.

* * *

 

A loud commotion jolted her awake, only minutes after she had finally gave in to sleep. She looked up to see a gathering of police near the back of the large room. Through the bars she could see at least ten officers coming from the doors that lead to the interrogation rooms. And in the middle of them all, getting all the attention, was the Joker.

She automatically stiffened. Would he be mad at her? It was her fault he finally got caught.

She scowled at herself. What a ridiculous idea. He should have just let her go out of the window and then followed. If he hadn't wasted time with knocking her out then they both would have had time to escape.

He was definitely enjoying all the attention. He was acting annoyed, but she could tell from his body language that he was relaxed and in control.

She caught the briefest of a smirk on his face just before he exaggerated a step and totally surprised one of the police on his right. The officer lunged backward just as Joker's foot stuck out ever so far. The clumsy cop toppled over backwards, nearly taking two others with him. His obnoxious laughter rang through the room among the curses from the police nearest the one who had fallen.

None too gently, they shoved the Joker into the cell farthest from her and slammed the door.

Joker continued to laugh as he sat on the bench in his cell. The thugs in the cell between them laughed a bit uneasily and Ann noticed that both of them scooted a bit closer to the bars between their cell and hers.

His laughter died down a moment later. Ann rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall in disinterest.

"So princess, how you likin the accommodations?" Joker taunted her from across the room. The thugs all laughed. She glared in his direction. "Better than the piece of crap place 'you' stuck me in." If he wanted to tease her, fine. But she wasn't about to roll over and take it.

"She's a real beauty, aint she boss." The fat thug commented. "Lots I could do with that." He winked at her. Ann wrinkled her nose. "Yeah? Lots I could do with you too, fatso. Maybe I'll go country and butcher me some pig meat."

Joker leaned back against the wall of his cell laughing. "Watch out Bozo, last time she let her temper out she slit someone's throat."

Ann glared at him through the bars of her cell. "Firstly, he tried to BUY me. And second, I wouldn't even have been there if it weren't for YOU!" She yelled.

"Awe," He made a show of pouting. "you looked like you were having a good time."

Ann was about to throw back another retort, but the bang of a metal door crashing shut caught her attention. Everyone's attention turned to the hallway at the back of the room as Commissioner Gordon walked into view.

Thank God. Now maybe I can get out of here.

With a glance at Joker, Gordon walked past his cell and toward hers. She put on her innocent face and waited by the wall while he opened the door and silently directed her to come with him.

At Gordon's direction, she made her way past the Joker's cell and down the hallway that Gordon had just come from. At the end of the hallway Gordon opened a large metal door for her and she stepped inside and took a seat in a metal chair in front of a metal table.

Gordon sat across from her. It was clear from his body language and expression that he was tired and mentally exhausted from his round with Joker. He busied himself with his papers. So she took the time to look around the room. On her right the wall had two huge two way mirrors, where cops could look in on the interrogation. On her left, back, and front the walls were a thick looking brick. The only way in or out was the huge metal door that looked heavy and solid. All in all the room would be next to impossible to break out of.

Gordon cleared his throat, drawing her attention back to him.

The next hour was spent telling Gordon all about her most recent captivity over and over. Of course, she left out a few details. She could tell he was looking for weak spots in her story to pick apart.

"Look, Commissioner, I don't know what your wanting to hear. I've told you exactly what happened like nine times." By now she was leaning on the table with her head resting on her hand.

Gordon looked just as fed up as she felt. "My problem, Ann, is that your story doesn't make any sense. He locked you in a room and just left you there? And the last time he kidnapped you, you told me he just let you go. Why would he just let you go if he was going to abduct you all over again?" He questioned her, suspicion laden in his voice.

She got angry then. "How the hell should I know why he does what he does? It's pretty clear he can do whatever he wants. No one's going to stop him. You obviously can't!" She yelled.

Gordon looked taken back by her outburst. Then he leaned forward, a smug look on his face. "He's behind bars now, isn't he?"

She wanted to reach across the table and smack the smirk off his face. "If he's in here it's because he wants to be." She sat back in her chair.

"Not this time. This time we actually got him. One of his thugs turned him in."

Ann's gaze shot up to meet his. She was suddenly filled with so many emotions. Surprise, anger, fear, but it was the sorrow that Gordon caught the easiest. She hardened her emotions quickly. But it was already too late.

"But none of that matters now." Gordon continued. "All that's left is the trial and rounding up all his little subordinates. See that's where your problem comes in, Ann. The problem is, I don't think you were just an innocent victim in all this. You want to know what I think?" He asked.

She was skeptical of his question. Connor had given her enough of a warning that she had been prepared to defend herself and play actress. But learning that one of Joker's henchmen was a traitor had thrown her.

"I think you used to work for him. Maybe even had a relationship with him. Then you had enough. Some argument or abuse sent you over the edge and you ran away. Started a new life. Put the past behind you, maybe?"

She was shocked at his guess. Shocked was a good emotion for him to see, so she let herself show it. And she 'was' shocked. His guess was really close to accurate. Too close.

"So what does he do? He tracks you down. He follows you and finds you here, where he creates anarchy and chaos, kills thousands, and over runs the whole city. You know what I think? I think it's your fault he's here." He finished, standing up.

No point playing the pretty damsel in distress now. He wouldn't be the one that needed convincing.

She smirked, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. "Good luck proving that in court, com-missioner." She told him, using the mocking tone that Joker favored.

He put both hands on the table and leaned in closer to her. "I'll see that you rot in prison for the rest of your life." He told her.

She sneered at him. He stood back a moment. "There is another way." He said to her in an almost thoughtful voice. "You could give me what I need to put him away for good. He'll get sent to Arkham as it stands now. No one in their right mind would argue that he's not crazy. But we both know he won't be there long. He'll find a way out and then this madness will start all over again." He confessed.

She was dumbfounded. To think that he actually believed she would ever give him anything was laughable. She considered laughing in his face. But thought better of it. "I'm sorry commissioner. I don't know any more about him than you do." She lied. It was an obvious lie. But so long as she didn't admit anything they wouldn't have any proof.

"Fine. If you won't give me what I need, I'll make damn sure you go down with him. You may not know this. But were trying him and all of his thugs in a Rico case. Do you know what that is, Ann?" Gordon asked snidely.

She frowned and shook her head no.

"There are a lot of complexities involved. But the basic idea is that everyone gets tried together and they all get the same sentence. So, if your found guilty, you'll all go to the same place."

She was starting to get worried. But she wasn't about let him know that. She shrugged. "Good thing I'm not guilty then."

"If I remember correctly, commissioner, there's a certain limit to how long you can hold someone before you charge them with a crime."

He glared at her a moment before walking around the table and directing her to stand. She did, not sure what he was about to do. He pulled out his handcuffs and slapped them on her wrist before twisting her arms behind her back and cuffing them there.

"What the hell!" She screamed.

"Miss Giovanni, your under arrest for murder, conspiracy to commit mass murder, aiding and abeding a known fugitive, vandalism, destruction of public property, theft, and larceny. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand your rights?"

"What happens if I say no?" She growled over her shoulder. He smirked. "Then you go to jail ignorant."

A moment later the door opened and two boys in blue took her by each arm and led her back to the holding room, where she was unceremoniously shoved back into her cell. Only after the door was shut and locked did they take the handcuffs off.

**Well that was pointless.**

Joker was laughing at the back of the room at God only knew what, the thugs next to her were still leering, and she was beginning to develop a migraine.

"Hey! I want my phone call!" She yelled as the cops walked away. They both ignored her.

She flopped down on her bench, forced to wait for someone to feel generous.

"What's a mattar doll? The fuzz being mean to the toy?" Joker asked from across the room.

She didn't need this right now. "Fuck you. Ass hole." She told him as calmly as she could manage.

"Just a simple question." He stated.

She glanced over at him. She had to lean forward a bit to see past the thugs in the cell next to her. But once she actually saw his face she realized he actually looked concerned.

Then it clicked. He was trying to ask her what was going on in a way that made it seem like he was making her miserable. She decided it best to play along.

"Oh, just a simple question? Fuzz being mean to me? Yeah, I'd say that's a HUGE understatement. They think I'm your accomplice! They don't believe you kidnapped me at all! The commissioner thinks I'm your girlfriend, for fuck sake."

A look of surprise crossed his face. "Well, I don't usually play the 'boyfriend'. But if that's what you want, doll, I'll be your boyfriend all night long." The thugs between them laughed.

One of them pressed his abnormally large girth against the cell bars. "I'll be your boyfriend, babe. C'mere n gimme a kiss." He reached for her through the bars.

Disgust flashed on her face. A moment later her disgust turned to fury. She glanced at Joker. He was staring at the thugs back, head tilted ever so slightly to the side, with a look in his eyes that made the danger warning bells in her head go off.

She glanced back at the thug. "Your disgusting. No one in their right mind would want to kiss you. That's probably why you work for 'him'. He's the only one who will even let you hang around."

The thug's pudgy face contorted in anger. "C'mere and say that to my face you little cunt." He growled at her, reaching farther through the bars.

Already angry, she jumped up from her bench and, fast as lightning, reached out and grabbed his thumb to twist his hand backwards and back through the bars next to his face. He howled in agony.

When he quieted a bit she leaned closer to him, looking him dead in the eyes. "You're a disgusting piece of shit. Talk to me like that again and I'll cut out your fucking tongue."

She shoved him away and he stumbled backwards to the other end of his cell.

"And keep your hands to yourself or I'll cut them off too." She told him.

Like a kicked puppy he pouted and sat down on the bench in his cell holding his hand.

"Fuck." The second thug muttered. "You weren't kidding boss. She's as crazy as you are."

"I'm not crazy."

"I'm no-t crazy." Ann and Joker protested in unison. Their eyes locked from across the room. Ann's initial look of surprise turned into a glare and she whirled around and took a seat as far from all of them as she could.

* * *

 

A half hour later Ann was still wide awake. Though it was well into the night, it seemed her one chance at sleep had come and gone. The pudgy thug had long since passed out against the cell wall, snoring obnoxiously. If she had had anything to throw, she would have gladly done so to shut him up.

The other man in the cell with him was sitting quietly in the corner, as far from the slumbering giant as possible. He seemed as disgusted and annoyed with the other man as she was.

Since their shared protests of being called crazy, neither Ann nor Joker had made a sound. Aside from the thundering snores, all was reasonable quiet.

A door slammed somewhere nearby, causing Ann to jump and come out of her daze. Looking up curiously she just barely caught Commissioner Gordon storming past the cells and towards the front offices.

"Don't I get a phone call?!" She yelled after him. "There are certain rights and procedures you have to follow Gordon! It's the law!"

He slowed at the exit and looked back at her. The look on his face was nothing short of rage. He had obviously just come from a heated argument with someone. She decided to push him just a bit farther.

"Wouldn't want the judge to throw out my case because of improper procedure, would we?" She smiled.

"Someone take Miss Giovanni to the phones!" He yelled before whirling away and disappearing. She was sure if there had been a door there, he would have slammed it.

A moment later Connor appeared, looking sullen. He opened her cell and pointed the way for her. She noticed he walked several paces behind her now instead of trusting her to follow him.

Several turns and hallways later they came upon a long hallway with pay phones lining the walls.

Ann sighed. "Connor I don't have any change." He smiled at her before reaching in his pocket and pulling out a hand full of change. He picked out some quarters and wordlessly handed them to her.

"Thanks." She told him before turning to the phone.

She paused.

Now who to call?

If she called Bruce he would undoubtedly come and throw his power around and probably succeed in securing her temporary release. But he would definitely make a huge scene. And the highly jealous Joker was in the other room and would surely see the whole thing.

If she called Misa, Misa would only call Bruce anyway. And the only thing she would be able to do besides that would be to pay any bail that Ann might have.

Ann made her decision. She put the quarters in the slot and dialed Misa's number. After five rings it went to voicemail. Annoyed, Ann hung up and tried again. Still no answer. Giving up, Ann called Bruce, and got the same lack of response.

Apparently all my friends are busy. Ann commented angrily.

Connor looked around then grabbed her arm and quickly pulled her closer.

"I don't have a lot of time. Gordon's watching me close. The judge denied you bail on a temporary basis. It'll be reexamined when you go to your first court hearing tomorrow." He whispered.

"What happens then?" She asked.

"Joker is a done deal. No one needs any evidence to put him in Arkham. But Gordon and the prosecution need to make a case that your actually his accomplice before he is tried. If they fail you'll be set free. But if they determine you're a criminal, you and Joker will get sentenced together." He told her.

A chill swept up her spine. So this is what Gordon was talking about.

"We gotta get you back. Someone might start to wonder what's taking so long." He told her. She smiled at him. He really was trying to help. "Thanks Connor."

When Connor shut the cell door behind her she knew she'd be stuck there till morning till the court hearing. Since there was no telling when that would be she decided to settle in and try to get some sleep. Joker looked like he was thinking the same thing. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and eyes shut with his head tilted ever so slightly. He looked peaceful. Too bad he was anything but.

Ann settled up in the corner of her cell and got as comfortable as she could.

"Any word?" Joker asked quietly from the other cell. She glanced up at him. Now that the other thugs were asleep and no one was around they could actually talk.

She shook her head. "I couldn't reach anyone." She told him.

"But Connor's a friend. He told me what Gordon plans to do. There's a court hearing tomorrow. They'll determine if I get a bond. Gordon's lawyers will try to make it look like I'm you accomplice. If they succeed I'll get tried with you. We'll get the same sentence." She told him.

A small smirk lit his face. "Interesting." He murmured.

"Excuse me, what's interesting?" She asked, annoyed he was finding the whole thing amusing.

His smirk grew. "The thought of you in a straigh-t jacke-t."

Ann rolled her eyes. "Your impossible."

"No, just improbable." He replied. His eyes flicked to the doorway to the front offices and Ann became aware of a disturbance up front.

There was a lot of yelling. She could pick out Gordon's voice but the other was eluding her. Then it struck her. It was Bruce.

Gordon must have informed Batman of her capture and it had caused his earlier frustration. And now Bruce was here arguing the point farther.

Ann slowly looked back at Joker to see he was already looking at her. "You just had to go and call him, didn't you."

"I told you, I didn't get anyone. I was never able to tell anyone I was here." She replied.

"So either word got to him from Devon telling Misa or Batman 'told' him." She continued. But he wasn't paying attention to her anymore. He was trying to make out the words of the argument. So she did the same.

It was in that moment that Gordon burst thought the doorway followed by a fuming Bruce Wayne. Ann ventured a glance at Joker, only to find him glaring at the approaching men and still ignoring her.

Ann wasn't exactly sure how to approach the situation, so she simply stayed where she was.

Bruce got as close as he could before giving Gordon a pointed look meant to make him go away. Gordon sighed and retreated to the far corner of the room to give them some privacy.

Ann was wary with Joker in the room. Even though he was still locked in a cell at the back of the room, his presence still unnerved her when it came to Bruce.

"Hi Bruce." She said simply. Bruce sighed heavily. "I've been looking for you everywhere. Don't worry. There's no way they'll get the charges to stick. I've already hired the best lawyer in the state." He told her. She raised her eyebrows slightly. "Gee Bruce, I can afford my own lawyer. Besides, do you really think that's necessary? I mean, the whole things a bit ridiculous. I don't think it would stand up in court at all." She replied.

"I'm not taking any chances." He explained. "I tried to get them to let you out tonight. But Gordon is refusing. He says there's a bail hearing tomorrow and that the judge will determine whether or not you can bond out."

She nodded. "I know. I'll be fine till then." She assured him.

Bruce took a long look down the hall at where the Joker was sitting, starring at them both with a somewhat hateful glare.

"I'm fine." She said a bit more forcefully.

Bruce returned his attention to her and nodded. "I'll see you in the morning." And, with a quick glance at Joker, he blew her a kiss and smoothly walked away.

Ann cringed at his cockiness. He was trying to piss Joker off when that was the last thing she needed. She tentatively glanced his way only to be met with a gaze of steel.

She scoffed at him. "He only did it to piss you off."

"The fact that he knows what pisses me off-pisses me off." He commented angrily. She rolled her eyes at him. "What doesn't piss you off these days?" Her retort was sharp and slightly angled towards getting him to lighten up a bit.

"Ugh, you guys fight like a married couple. Nya nya nya, nya, nya nya. It's like watching a soap opera."

Ann shot a glare at the tall thug, mentally stabbing daggers into his face. Something told her Joker was doing the same. The thug snapped his mouth shut and retreated farther into his corner.

Angry at the world and frustrated with her current situation, Ann crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall and the bars of her cell. Determined to actually go to sleep this time. And this time, no one disturbed her and she was able to drift off into a light but quiet slumber.


	9. Chapter 9

Ann awoke to the horrible clang of metal hitting metal. Cursing the source of the racket, she covered her ears in an attempt to go back to sleep. But the noise persisted. Groaning and sitting up, she looked to the cell next to her to see the fat thug was banging a metal plate against the bars of his cell. "G'mornin princess. Nice to see your awake." he snickered.

"Nice to see your still a moron." she replied, determined not to let the thug get the better of her. He had apparently regained a measure of confidence since the last time she put him in his place. "Only the finest of breakfasts for the crazy girl." he gestured to the door of her cell where a metal plate was sitting on the floor.

She sleepily got up and staggered to pick it up before returning to her bench. A plate full of now cold scrambled eggs and a small carton of chocolate milk. And no cutlery. Grateful of the food but annoyed with everything else, she stuffed the cold eggs in her mouth with her fingers and then quenched her thirst with the milk. All in all, it was hardly a meal. It was less than satisfying. But it would hold her over until she had something more substantial.

She tossed the empty carton and plate on the floor by the door and glanced at the back cell to see what Joker was doing. He looked as complacent as ever, as if he'd spent his whole life right where he was. He threw her a smirk and she sneered back at him before turning her attention somewhere else.

There was no clock. So it was impossible to tell how much time went by. But she was guessing it was close to an hour. She was contemplating trying to go back to sleep. But she had a feeling Mr jack ass would only keep her awake. She was about to try anyway when an officer appeared in the doorway.

He instructed her to come to the door way, where he cuffed her hands through the bars. He did the same for the other two thugs. When he got to Joker he called for some help and three more officers came in. Once Joker was cuffed they let them all out and forced them into a single file line and paraded them out of the police station and across the street to the courthouse. They went down several hallways and stopped at an elevator. The entire ensemble crowded into the tiny moving box. After a moment one of the cops pushed a button and they started going up.

**If you want to make a move, nows the time.**

But the decision was taken out of her hands when there was a loud cry of pain somewhere behind her. She automatically turned to see what was happening. But before she could see she was shoved up against the wall and held there. There was a series of cursing and more screaming behind her. Someone hit the stop button on the elevator. Suddenly the pressure of the person holding her in place was gone and she was free to move.

Spinning around she came face to face with the chubby thug, who began to advance on her. She shoved down a lump of panic and prepared to defend herself when the man was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Joker came into view behind him.

"Let me make this clear." he said. "No one touches her but me. Got it?" he said. The man nodded, visibly shaken. Joker came to her and produced a small pin that he used to take her cuffs off.

"And now what? Hm? We all just stroll out of here? This place is crawling with cops and there going to be missing us soon."

Joker shrugged and pushed a button on the control panel. The elevator began to descend back to ground level. Ann glanced behind him to see the police had all been incapacitated. One of them was obviously quite dead. He'd been killed by the pointed end of a set of handcuffs that had been shoved through the bottom of his jaw and was protruding out his mouth. She cringed.

A moment later the elevator stopped and the doors slid open... to reveal at least twenty police with their guns all pointed right at them. Ann sighed. "Great frigging plan." she mumbled at Joker, who shrugged in response. Seconds later she was tackled and placed back in cuffs, along with the other three.

They were then shoved along, none too gently, until they finally reached the court room. They were forced to sit in chairs lined up against the wall, where their cuffs were secured to metal rings that were bolted to the floor in front of them.

Ann was painfully aware of how close she was to Joker. A flashing memory of just how close they had been just before the police had raided the warehouse came to her mind. She angrily shoved it to the back of her mind. She needed to focus.

Bruce and Misa were sitting in a pew nearby and there were several random other people scattered about. Bruce smiled reassuringly at her. She ignored him. Hopefully Jokers pathetic escape attempt didn't ruin her chances of getting bail. It was hard to be optimistic.

'All rise!' the bailiff called from the front of the room. Everyone stood. Everyone except Joker. She mentally cursed him. How was she ever supposed to look innocent when she was right next to him?!

The bailiff glared at him, but continued anyway. "The honorable judge Gray presiding." Judge Gray walked in and, after glaring at Joker himself, took his seat. Everyone else followed suit.

Each of the four prisoners had their turn before the judge, who denied each of them bail, until he got to Ann, who was last. When she walked to the space in front of the podium where the judge was, a man dressed in a sharp suit stood up and accompanied her.

"Miss Giovanni. You've been charged with quite a few serious charges." He named them all. "Do you have anything you wish to add before I decided on bail?" he asked. Which was odd to her. He hadn't talked talked to the others like this. She opened her mouth to answer only to be hushed by the man, who she assumed was her lawyer.

"Your honor." the man began. "Miss Giovanni is respectfully requesting bail on the premise that she is completely innocent of all charges and was drawn into these circumstances against her will by the Joker. An extensive police report was filed in late July last year documenting her abduction by the criminal in question."

Ann was a bit impressed. The man had put it so eloquently she doubted she could do much more than agree with him.

The judge seemed to take his words into consideration.

"Normally I'd be inclined to agree with you, councilor. Especially given the report you mentioned and the vast history that's been recorded about his past harassment. But I do have to take into consideration the strong advise of our police commissioner. Not to mention the escape attempt just minutes before this very hearing. Its no doubt that this is a very dangerous man. And anyone even suspected of affiliating with him has to be assumed to be just as dangerous. For those reasons, I'm refusing bail." he banged his gavil.

Ann's face went white as a sheet. Her lawyer nodded and gave her an apologetic look before she was ushered with the others out oft he room. On the way back to the jail she was in such a shock that the only thing she noticed was the fact that they took the stairs instead of the elevator.

* * *

 

Several hours later Ann was feeling as morbid as ever. The two thugs seemed to share her depressed feelings. But Joker, however, was as cheery as could be. She wanted so badly to smack the stupid smirk off his face. To scream at him for ruining her chance at bail with his escape attempt. To kick him so hard the paint fell off his face. But instead she sat there in silence until lunch was served at noon.

Lunch consisted of two tuna sandwiched, a bag chips, and a pop from a vending machine. It was Pepsi, which disgusted her. But she was able to secure a trade for a Dr pepper from the tall thug, who also didn't like his assigned beverage.

Some time after lunch an officer appeared to tell them their next court appearance would be in the morning. Normally things wouldn't move along this fast. Ann was guessing the speed of things was due to everyone wanting the Joker to be incarcerated and done with.

Joker seemed more friendly since the hearing. Almost like he was trying to get back on her good side.

Ann spent her time laying on her bench and counting the small cracks in the ceiling. The two thugs had mysteriously acquired a deck of cards and were playing poker. After awhile one of the thugs asked if she wanted to play. By then she was so bored she would have payed them to let her play. And when she joined in Joker leaped at the chance to play. 

The two thugs weren't very good. But every few hands one of them got lucky. Joker was her real competition. And she was determined to beat him as badly as possible as payment for how he screwed everything up with the last hearing.

Back in high school she had been an expert at the game. She was so good the other kids wouldn't play with her. Her biggest strength was manipulating the other players. Normally people tried to keep themselves as emotionless as possible to avoid giving the other players clues to what they held. She was the opposite. She'd fake a happy face when she held a bad hand, and a look of annoyance when she had something good. And once someone figured out her little trick, she would switch it up. By the time the games were over her opponents wouldn't have a clue how to really read her. And by then it wouldn't matter, as shed already have taken all their money.

For the first ten games she did like everyone else, kept her expression as neutral as possible. With one exception. She lost every hand on purpose and concentrated on finding her opponents tells. Once she had the thugs down she slowly adopted her old strategy and quietly waited for Joker to catch on. She knew he would. He was smarter than anyone else she'd ever played.

Joker seemed to notice that she had switched strategy's. He gave her a knowing look, but continued playing the game without a word. The entire time they'd been playing she hadn't picked up the slightest tell from him. The face paint didn't help either. It was cracked crusty and faded at the edges. He looked like a child's worn clown doll.

After several games the two thugs were obviously losing badly. But Joker and Ann were pretty close to even.

"Lets make this more interesting." Joker commented from his cell. "How bout we raise the stakes a bit."

Ann frowned. "What's you have mind?" she asked. They didn't exactly have anything to bet with.

"Lets say the winner of this round gets a favor." he suggested. Ann's frown deepened into a scowl. "What kind of favor?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well, anything the winner wants. To be used whenever he wants." he suggested casually.

"Or she." she mumbled. "But it can't be anything sexual." she stated firmly. He nodded. "Fine."

She agreed and looked at her hand. She was very lucky this round. She held three queens, all but the queen of spades. She also held a deuce and the ace of clubs. Joker wasn't even looking at his cards. All his attention was on her. She put the deuce face down and slid it to the middle cell, requesting one card. The tall thug gave her a new card. It was the five of diamonds. All in all it was a pretty good hand. Three of a kind with an ace high. She was fairly certain she could win. But she knew Jokers hand had to be good, or he wouldn't have suggested the new stakes.

Joker gave back a card and got a new one and looked at his hand. As usual, his expression gave nothing away. The two thugs gave and received cards. Then it was time to show their hands. The chubby thug laid down a pair of aces with a smug look on his face. The tall thug folded, knowing he couldn't beat two aces. Then it was Ann's turn. She laid her cards down with a smile that wiped the chubby thugs smirk clean off his face. They all turned to look at Joker. He put his cards down one at a time. The ten of spades. The jack of spades. The queen of spades. The king of spades. And the ace of spades.

Ann couldn't believe her eyes. He had a royal flush! The bastard was holding the queen she had needed! He won the hand, and apparently a favor of his choosing from Ann.

"Okay. Nicely done." She conceded. "Now what's this favor you want?" She asked. He tisked at her. "I'm saving it." He announced. She sighed in defeat. "Whatever."

Dinner was served a few minutes later, which put an end to Jokers gloating. Finally. She received a bowl of what looked like beef stew, but smelled less that appealing, and a side of chips and another drink. This time she received a Dr pepper. She was grateful for that.

Their shared meal was eaten in relative silence. After the meal Joker used his plastic spoon to launch his uneaten carrots at the rest of them. Which resulted in a loud commotion as they would scream and hurl them back at him. This caused a cop to come investigate the loud noise. He quickly commandeered all the cutlery and anything else they could have used to make a racket.

Far sooner than Ann would have liked, the lights were shut off, leaving her to contemplate her thoughts in the dark. Thoughts of Jokers secret favor swam through her head. What could he possibly want her to do? Perhaps a 'just in case' thing.

She decided it didn't really matter. She'd find out eventually. Finally she managed to drift into a restless sleep.

 


	10. Chapter 10

 

Ann felt blessed to wake up on her own, compared to the rude awakening she had the day before. She groggily sat up from the bench and stretched her back and arms. No one had noticed she was awake yet. The tall thug was playing solitaire by himself. The fat thug was still sleeping. She was tempted to wake him the same rude way he woke her the day before. But she decided against it. She felt a headache brewing behind her eyes, and didnt want to aggravate it. And Joker was doing push ups in the back corner of his cell.

She stopped and took another look. She'd never seen him work out before. And the angle gave her a wondrous view of his butt. His push ups were literally perfect. Down up down up. Never breaking rhythm. No wonder his arms were so chiseled.

At exactly the wrong moment the tall thug noticed she was awake and coughed. It was obviously a signal. Joker jumped up an instant later. He didn't even look the slightest bit winded. Not even sweaty. He showed no signs at all that he'd just been pounding out push ups at a phenomenal rate.

She mumbled a good morning his way and he returned it in kind. But that was as far as conversation went. She now had something new to think about. The awesome view of his ass. Not to mention the weird signal thing. Had he told the thug to let him know when she woke up? Perhaps so she wouldn't see him working out? Maybe he didn't want her to see him doing that. It would explain why she'd never seen him do it before.

The guard with their breakfast arrived before she could ponder on it any longer. It was the same breakfast as the day before. But this time the eggs were fresh and warm. And there seemed to be more on her plate than the day before. Maybe she was imagining things.

She gratefully ate her food and drank her milk before putting the trash in the corner for someone to retrieve later.

It didn't take long after breakfast for more guards to show up. This time they took the two thugs and left her and Joker behind in their cells. This struck her as unusual. They probably seperated them so that there wouldn't be a repeat of yesterdays escape attempt.

Now alone with Joker, Ann decided to ask the question that had been at the back of her mind all morning.

"Were you doing push ups earlier?" She asked. She just couldn't help it. She wanted to see his reaction.

He stiffened but replied with a 'yeah'. He then pulled out the deck of cards and started shuffling them idly.

She noted the reaction. "I've never seen you work out before." She commented.

"Nope"

There was a noticible awkward silence and Ann decided not to press the issue any farther. Instead she sat in silence and tried to ignore the awkward ness.

Ann guessed it had been about an hour when the guards returned. The two thugs were put back in their cell and Ann and Joker were cuffed and taken back to the court house. This time there was no I'll fated escape attempt. And they were forced to walk up the stairs again instead of taking the elevator.

They were herded into the same courtroom as yesterday and sat in the same chairs with their hands restrained with the rings in the floor.

"All rise." The bailiff called. And just as before, everyone stood except Joker. The bailiff didn't even bother with a glare. "The honorable judge Gray presiding." Judge Gray entered and took his seat at the podium. Everyone else sat down.

This time there were two desks near the front. Ann's attorney sat at one with a second man she didn't recognise, and another attorney sat at the other. What happened next, Ann could only assume, was a scene straight from Law and Order. Each attorney made an opening statement. One declaring he would prove Joker was not crazy and that Ann was his accomplice. And Ann's attorney who vowed that Ann was completely innocent, and Joker's attorney who stated that Joker was entering into a plea of insanity.

Ann was called to testify first. She sat on the stand and told the jury every fake detail about her encounters with Joker, beginning when Joker crashed Bruce Wayne's fund raiser and ending with her 'rescue' from his second abduction of her. And she hated herself for every word. The prosecuting attorney constantly tried to poke holes in her story and kept insinuating that there was more to it than what she said. Her attorney was less than helpful. He simply asked her about Joker's treatment of her and pointed out that there's no understanding the whyms of a mad man.

When they were finally done with her she took her seat, glad too be done with the ordeal. And angry at the entire thing.

"The prosecution would like to call its first witness." The lawyer stated. Confused, she glanced at Joker. He looked just as surprised as her. So she knew it wasn't him. Thank God.

"The prosecution calls James Runyon to the stand." Now Ann was more confused. Who the hell were they talking about?

The doors to the courtroom opened and Gordon walked in. followed by none other than Sniper. Ann almost fell out of her chair.

_He's the informant! That's why he left in such a hurry right before the raid!_

Joker looked livid. And Ann was still in shock. The both of them glared at Sniper as he walked up the aisle and took the witness seat.

_My God. What else has he told them? Do they know about Ash or Misa_?

Ann was suddenly concerned for her friends. She had to find a way to warn them! Misa was in the court room. Unless she left now they'd catch her for sure. But Ash wasn't here. She'd never know until it was too late.

The prosecution asked Sniper a series of questions, mainly about Ann and Joker's relationship. And he answered them all truthfully. He told their entire story. Everything he had seen and every moment he'd been a part of when they were together. From beginning to end.

Ann was beyond furious. He was telling the world her personal secrets! Things no one should have ever known. Joker looked even more pissed off than her, if that was possible. She was grateful he had remained sitting. She was honestly surprised he wasn't up there trying to kill him.

At the end of his long story the prosecuting attorney asked him one final question. "And just what made you decide to finally come forward? What put you over the edge?"

Sniper looked directly at Ann. "I couldn't stand how he was treating miss Giovanni."

She almost fell out of her chair a second time. He did this for her? Damn it. She wanted to scream at him. He had screwed up everything. Her entire life! All because he didn't think she was treated right? Didn't he know she could handle herself?

Ann glanced at Misa to see she had her face burried in her hands. Bruce was doing his best to comfort her, but he looked like he was in a slight shock. She'd never told him just how close she was to Joker. She was surprised he hadn't stormed out.

The judge excused Sniper from the stand and he promptly left, throwing her an apologetic look over his shoulder as he walked out.

**Well that did it. We're screwed.**

"Does the defence have any other witnesses?" The judge asked. Ann's lawyer said no. Joker's lawyer said no.

"Court will resume tomorrow at ten am." The judge declared and banged his gavil.

Ann and Joker were ushered back out of the court room and to their cells. It was ominously silent the entire way.

The eery silence continued once they were in there cells. Joker was so pissed he either couldn't talk or didn't want to. And Ann was solemn and slightly depressed. The two thugs seemed to share her hopelessness, as they sat looking as dejected as she felt.

Several hours later a guard came to the cell. "Miss Giovanni, you have a visitor." He told her. Feeling numb, she walked to the bars and allowed him to cuff her and lead her away.

He took her to a large room with various tables and chairs scattered about. Misa was sitting at one of them. The guard remained at the door as Ann took a seat by Misa.

"I wish you hadn't had to see all that." Ann commented. Misa shrugged. "Bruce said to tell you hi. He said he had business. But i think he just didn't want to come." She admitted.

"Can't say I blame him." Ann mumbled. "I asked him if he wanted us to find you another lawyer. But he said he'd rather you let him pay for it." Misa told her. "How noble." Ann commented dryly.

"Warn Ash. Sniper knows hers and Devon's involvement with J. And yours. All of you need to be careful." Ann whispered. Misa nodded. "She already knows. They're laying low." Misa replied.

"I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. But at this point, the best case scenario is Arkham. Worst case, Blackgate prison." Miss said sadly.

"Don't worry Misa. I'll figure this out. It'll be okay." But deep down, she knew it was a lie. The only thing that could happen now that could possibly be considered good would be a break out. Then she'd be a fugitive. On the run the rest of her life. How could that be good?

The rest of the conversation was details about how Ann wanted Misa to run the company in her absence. They discussed that until they ran out of time and the guard took her away again.

As the guard took her around a corner they literally bumped right into Connor, who ignored her completely and started chatting with the guard.

"Hey man. You've had a rough day. Why don't cha let me get this one back in her pin?" Connor said lightly. The man smiled and thanked him, then headed off the other way. Presumably for a break.

As soon as he was out of sight Connor's attitude completely changed. "Listen, there's not a lot of time. Tommorow Gordon's attorney is going to try to get info out of you. Info about Joker. Anything they can get. If you don't help them they're gonna throw you under the bus with Joker. But without proof that he's not crazy you'll both end up in Arkham." He told her hurriedly.

She nodded. "You have to give them what they want. If you just tell them what you know, he'll go to Blackgate and you'll be free. And he'll never be able to bother you again." Connor told her.

A sour taste flew across her tongue. "I can't do that Connor." She told him. He looked confused. "Why not?" He asked, obviously he didn't understand. She shook her head. "I just can't."

After that he took her back to her cell.

* * *

 

"So." Joker exclaimed as soon as Connor left. "What'd your little boy toy have to say?"

She sighed. "Oh grow up. It was Misa. Not Bruce. And he's not my boy toy." She commented. His stupid jealousy was the last thing she needed right now. He was silent again.

Ann looked around, making sure no one was listening. "We need to get out of here." She whispered his way, only loud enough for him to hear.

He laughed. "But why? Don't you like the accommodations?" He was being stupid again. She groaned.

"I hate to say it boss, but I actually agree with her." The chubby thug commented. The tall one nodded his agreement. "You gotta have a plan, right? I mean, up till now I thought you just liked screwing with the girl." He added.

Joker scowled. "I don't make plans. I just do. Go with the flow."

Ann sneered at him. "You sound like a damn pot head. Cmon. Seriously. Let's go."

He scoffed at her comment. "So now you want to escape. Now that it suits 'your' best interest. Sorry toots. My idea was the elevator. Your turn."

She threw her hands up. "Look, I get your mad about Sniper. I am too. Let's be mad together and go kick his ass." She told him. He laughed at her. "Now you sound like a romantic comedy."

She felt like banging her head against the wall. This was getting her nowhere fast.

A moment later an officer came in to give them their meal. It was tuna sandwiches again. Ann solemnly went about her meal. At least they were fresh. When she was half way through her second sandwich she bit down on something hard. Cursing, she threw the offending food down holding her mouth in pain.

All three of the men looked concerned. "What happened?" The tall thug finally asked after she had herself under control. When she explained, Joker asked "Well. What was it?"

She took the sandwich apart to examine it. There, neatly in the middle of her sandwich, was a paperclip. Connor popped into her mind. He had obviously came to the same conclusion that she had. Her only option was escape. And he must have done this to help her. She showed it to the others. And a slow smile crept on all four faces.

* * *

 

It was dark now. Ann guessed it was close to three am. There was dead silence in the jail. The only light was coming from down the hall where an officer was on guard duty. Ann had slipped Joker the paper clip earlier that day when no one was looking. Now she was waiting on him to pick the locks. She wasn't sure if he'd even started yet. It was so quiet. Surely she'd have heard him. All four prisoners had agreed to pretend to sleep like normal until around three. That's when J would pick the locks. Of course, he complained about being the one having to do all the work. But he was the only one skilled enough to even bother.

A 'psst' sound came from the front of her cell. Ann got up as quietly as possible and made her way to the door. Joker already had it unlocked. She slowly pulled it open just far enough for her to squeeze through, very aware that it could squeek.

Once she was out of the cell Joker unlocked the cell that as housing the two thugs. And now what? They couldn't exactly waltz out the front door. They all knew the way, but surely Gordon had other cops in the building.

It looked like that's where they were headed. Joker had taken her hand and was leading her blindly along. The other two followed by putting a hand on her shoulder. At least she had some comfort in the fact that they were just as lost as she was.

Apparently they were traveling down a hallway. They were going in a straight line for the longest time. Then they came around a corner and Ann could make out light coming from a cracked door farther down.

The four criminals slowly made their way to the door and Joker peered through the crack. He made the 'shh' gesture to them before slowly opening the door. There was a cop on guard duty. But he hadn't taken his job very seriously. He was passed out on the desk he sat at, a line of drool was leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Ann recognized the room. They had come through here on their trips to the court house. She felt better knowing where she was. They crept through the room to the next door. Ann didn't fail to notice Joker still held her hand. This door was shut. Joker reached up and opened the door. He never made a sound as he led them into another dark hall.

They continued their slow, deliberate journey. At this point Ann was happy that one of the thugs hadn't done something to screw it up. She couldn't go to a nut house. They'd make her crazy if she wasn't already.

They had just turned a corner and now they were in complete darkness again. Her eyes had adjusted. But she still couldn't see anything. She was trusting J completely. Which, thinking back on it, was what she'd always done. Even when she argued with him. Even when she went her own way. She'd always trust him. Perhaps that's why she was here to begin with.

A sudden blinding light broke her from her thoughts. She was blind. Really blind, now. Someone had flicked on the lights. And it had taken them all completely by surprise. And they were all scrambling to find some sight.

The sound of someone fighting reached her ears before her sight finally returned. And who else would it possibly be, but Batman and Joker.

No way was this happening! Why would he do this? Realization dawned on her that he was making sure they wouldn't escape. The two of them could fight for hours. He could hold Joker off until someone noticed. Then they'd be back in their cells, and quite literally screwed. Again.

She jumped into action, coming to Joker's aid. Batman was stunned for a moment by her sudden entrance into the fight. She had caught him off guard. And she made him pay for it with a swift kick to his chin that sent him sprawling backwards. He rolled on the tiled floor to avoid smashing into it, and the fight was on again.

He was skilled. Much more skilled than she had expected. He was managing to block or parry both of their attacks. But that was all he was able to do. They slowly began gaining ground, forcing him backwards down the hall.

They were nearing the end of the hall, and another door, when the two thugs finally got their wits about them and attacked full force. The chubby one came barreling between Ann and Joker in a straight charge that would have had Batman tackled to the ground. But he spun out of the way just in time, sending the man plowing into the door. The cheap wood door gave way with a loud crack and the thug sprawled into the doorway.

The tall thug had been right on his heels. His elbow caught Ann in the side as he ran past and she careened into the wall with a thud. The thug actually caught Batman, slamming him into the corner by the door. By now Ann had recovered in time to see Joker punch him in the face and finish him. There was a loud crack and Batman's head bounced off the wall behind him.

Just when she was about to celebrate there was an audible click of a gun behind her.

"Don't move." She recognized Gordon's voice.

She couldn't help herself. "Fucking damn it!" She yelled. She'd been so focused on the fight that she hadn't even noticed him creeping up behind her.

She raised her hands with annoyance. Joker had dropped Batman and was squaring off with Gordon, who kept himself neatly behind Ann. He was just out of her reach. She was helpless.

"Don't move Joker! I'll shoot her. Just to get you, I'll do it." He threatened.

Joker sighed as the hallway began to fill with more police. "This is your fault, you know." He told her. She sneered at him. "Well no shit! I was so concerned for you I didn't even notice the hero back there! What was I thinking? Oh, I don't know. Maybe it was hurry up and finish him so we can escape?!"

"Well if your sloppy footwork hadn't been in my way maybe I would have." He argued back.

"Sloppy?! I'll have you know that my footwork was excellent. It was your-"

"Alright! You can fight like your married once your back in your cell. Come on, let's go." Gordon butted in. "For all I know you already are." He mumbled as the police escorted Ann, Joker, and the tall thug back to their cells. The chubby thug was unconscious. And several police complained as they picked him up and half dragged him along.

Ann ventured a glance at Batman. He was unconscious. There was a crack in his mask that ran from the bottom up one side. Joker must have hit him as hard as he could. Bruce would definitely be feeling that later. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Defeated, they were pushed and shoved along back to their cells, which wasn't nearly as long of a journey as it had felt when they were in the dark.

Once they were securely locked away Gordon posted a cop in a chair at the doorway, and probably at least twenty more at random locations.

The cops had practically thrown the chubby thug into the cell. The tall one left him on the floor to recover on his own. Ann and the tall thug sat in depressing silence. Joker seemed more pleased than anything and practically beamed with happiness from his cell. Ann assumed he was happy about giving Batman a butt kicking. That was actually the only good part about their entire escapade.

Exhausted and slightly pissed off, Ann laid down in an attempt to get what sleep she could.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

Ann woke up groggy and sore. Her neck was stiff from sleeping wrong on the bench. Like the morning before, she stretched her arms and back, adding a massage to her neck to try to alleviate the pain.

Joker was already awake. She was disappointed to see he wasn't doing push ups. The chubby thug was still asleep in the same place he had been thrown the night before. She would have thought him to be injured, except that he was snoring loudly. The tall thug was awake. He slumped on the bench silently. Every few minutes he'd poke the chubby thug with his toe and watch him squirm in his sleep. Ann thought it was rather comical.

Breakfast was served not long after she woke up. Eggs and chocolate milk again. She was beginning to get tired of eating the same things every meal.

Ann had just put her trash in the corner when two police came in. Connor was between them. And he was in hand cuffs.

It was because of the paper clip. They must have figured out he was trying to help them escape. Concern flooded her. One more person who got themselves screwed up because of her.

The two police looked confused a moment. Ann realized they weren't sure which cell to put him into. There were only three cells. One was Joker. One was Joker's thugs. And the other occupied a woman. There were strict codes about women and men mingling in the same cells. Bad things tended to happen. But the alternative, at lease in their eyes, was death, or death. So they put him in Ann's cell.

"Connor, what happened?"she asked as soon as the cops left. She glanced at Joker just in time to see a glint of suspicion cross his face.

Connor shrugged. "Well, funny thing. They caught me trying to slip another paper clip in your food." He laughed.

Ann reeled. "I knew it was you! But why are you so happy? Your stuck in here with us now."

"Well at least I don't have to hide from Gordon every time I need to talk to you." He reasoned. Ann smirked. Leave it to him to make light of the situation.

He sat on the bench next to her. "Don't worry." Ann told him. "Maroni's gonna have you outta here in no time." He scoffed. "Yeah, but forget me being a cop. At least not here. They never trusted me to begin with. Now, forget it. Besides, with Gordon on your heels, your the one who should be worried." He patted her on the shoulder.

Apparently that was enough for Joker, who stood up and came to the bars of his cell. "Listen, pretty boy. I'll tell you like I told the other two. No one touches her but 'me'." He threatened.

"Oh? And how are you gonna stop me? Pull a balloon out your ass?" Connor replied sarcastically.

"Okay. That's enough." Ann objected angrily. "The last thing I need right now is to be swimming in a bunch of testosterone fueled insults." She looked at Joker "Connor is a friend. He tried to help us escape. So be nice." She told him. She looked at Connor "That means you too. Be nice."

"Why should I be nice to the guy that's ruining your life? Isn't he the bad guy?" Connor argued.

Joker laughed. "Wow. She's really got you fooled. I never realized my Shadow was such a good actress." He laughed again.

Ann glared at him. "Screw you. Just cause you have a masters degree in manipulation, doesn't mean everyone else does too."

He only laughed harder. "She never told you? She's mine, pretty boy. She's always been mine. And she always will be mine."

"Dream on clown boy!" Connor yelled back.

Ann sighed. "There's that testosterone again."

"Oh my God. Will you guys shut up!" The chubby thug said from his position on the floor. All their noise must have broke through the cloud around his head.

"That's your problem." Connor continued. "You see something, you want it, you take it. I bet you've never worked for a single thing in your whole life."

Ann's eyes got wide.

**Uh oh. Dangerous territory**.

"Connor. You need to shut up now." She told him calmly. "No. I'm sick of this freak walking all over whoever he pleases."

**He used the f word. Break it up. Quick**.

Joker was laughing again. But this time his laugh was the one he used to scare his victims. Right before he gutted them.

"Look at him. He can't stop laughing. Cause he can't come at me." Connor was on thin ice already.

"No stupid. He's laughing because he knows he's right and you've pissed him off in your ignorance." She blurted. Just in time too. Joker was amused with her comment. His laugh changed to a genuine one. Connor was shocked at what she said.

"Just be quiet, okay." She told him. "Your talking about shit that you don't know anything about." He was silent. Finally. She couldn't believe how close he came to being a dead man. And he had no idea. Knowing J, he could have gotten out of that cell if he wanted to bad enough. She was beginning to think he really wanted to be here. Though, she couldn't understand why.

Before she could think of it any longer, it was time for court again. Their escorts came to take her and Joker to their hearing. Ann felt guilty as she walked along down the halls behind Joker. She hadn't wanted to be like that to Connor. But it was the only way to get his attention and make him stop.

Was Joker right? Did she subconsciously manipulate people?

Before she could answer herself, they arrived at the court room. Again they were restrained with the rings in the floor. Again she had to suffer through the 'all rise' and the annoyance of Joker not standing. Again the judge came out.

The prosecution, predictably, called her to the stand again. Once she was there the judge informed her that she would get a lighter sentence if she could provide any information to testify against Joker.

Ann abruptly decided she'd had enough of this. Screw all them. She wanted this over.

"I was the one that helped Joker. I was the one who helped blow up the boats! My name is Shadow. And I'm just as fucking crazy as he is!" She exclaimed.

"Hey!" Joker yelled from the chair. "I'm not crazy!" He called angrily.

"You shut the fuck up! I'm talking." She yelled back.

"Order! Order in the court!" The judge yelled. "Miss Giovanni, one more outburst and I'll hold you in contempt!" He threatened.

"Go ahead then! Fat pompous ass! It won't matter. Throw me in a nut house. I'll only get out whenever I want. Then I'll do whatever I want. Good luck." She told him.

The judge banged his gavil. "Your now in contempt!" She laughed in his face. "Whooo. I'm scared now." She waived her hands. Joker was laughing hysterically off to the side.

Needless to say, the rest was a blur, as she was literally dragged out of the room and back to her cell. In all the commotion, the cops had completely forgot about Joker. He was still in the courtroom.

When the two thugs saw her return without Joker they were practically all over her asking questions about what happened. They were learning.

She told them and they both had a fit of laughter that lasted longer than necessary. Connor was stunned. "Why would you do that?" He asked. He obviously still didn't understand.

"Look. My choices were: a. Say nothing and possibly go to prison. B. Be a snitch and still possibly go to prison. And c. Act crazy and go to the Looney bin. Now which one of those keeps my integrity intact and still sounds the most fun?"

Connor was silent. Speechless was more like it. The thugs high fived her through the bars. "I see it now." The chubby thug commented. "I thought you were just some toy to him or something. But I get it now. You guys are perfect for each other."

She wasn't sure to take that as a compliment or insult. Connor scoffed and turned away from the conversation.

Joker returned about ten minutes later. He applauded her from his cell. "Ya know, I was beginning to think you didn't have it in you. Welcome to the other side. Now your free." He told her.

She looked around. "I sure as hell don't feel free." She commented dryly. He just laughed some more.

She honestly couldn't see what the big deal was.

* * *

 

Close to half an hour after her dramatic court appearance, there was a disturbance the next room over.

_Now what?_

The voices grew closer. And she could recognise Gordon and Bruce yelling. Ann groaned. This was all she needed. A thorn in her side, come to stroke his injured pride.

Another few minutes of yelling and Bruce finally burst into the room.

_Here it comes_.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He yelled at her. Did someone finally reach the end of their sanity?

"Me? I'm not the one throwing a tantrum in a police station." She commented calmly.

"All you had to do was tell them something, anything, about him! Anything useful you might know. And what do you do? You act like a loon on the stand! Your going to Arkham for sure!"

She jumped up, sick of being yelled at. "Guess what!" She yelled back "My life! My choice! Not that I had a lot of options! The society you love 'so much' just threw me in a cage and backed me in a corner! What happens when you back a tiger into a corner Bruce? You get bitten!" She yelled. "Its none of your business anyway! Your only pissed off because I chose not to throw the one guy worth my time under the bus!"

She gave a fake gasp of astonishment. "Your jealous because I chose him!" He whirled and stormed back the way he came. She crossed her arms angrily and sat back down. Then she glared at Joker. He was watching her, but was silent. "What?" She asked angrily.

He shrugged. "Nothin. You covered it." He smirked. She rolled her eyes and ignored him.

Everyone stayed silent after that. She had a suspicion that they were all afraid she'd jump down their throat too. All except Joker anyway. She knew he didn't care. She didn't care either. He had deserved it! Especially after he came in here yelling at her. She was sick of everyone telling her what to do. No way was she about to send Joker to prison just to maybe save herself. In effect, she had chosen Joker over Bruce. The moment she chose not to do the 'right thing' she threw society and the law out the window and crossed over to Joker's way of life. To Batman, that made her the enemy.

Well fine then. To her, the moment he physically put himself between her and freedom, he became her enemy as well. She knew he couldn't help it. As Batman he had to do what he viewed to be right. This was unavoidable. She knew he'd come to realize that in his own time.

Lunch time arrived and Ann got to enjoy another 'fabulous' tuna sandwich. She was munching on the chips idly when Connor finally decided to ask the question that she knew was on his mind.

"So, earlier you said you chose Joker." He said quietly. Not that it mattered. All the whispering in the world wouldn't keep everyone else from hearing. She nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"Does that mean you've been with him this entire time? That you really were just acting?" He asked. She frowned. "Yes and no." He looked more confused. "How is it yes and no?"

Ann sighed. She really didn't want to get into all her personal dating habits. "So we were together. Had been for some time. We had a-" she glanced at Joker as she searched for the right words. "-a falling out. So we weren't together anymore. And I guess he didn't like that. And I'm stubborn." She shrugged. "I guess things like that happen to everyone. But with us, it tends to be on a much larger scale." She commented.

"Well, that makes sense." He said after a long moment of silence. "I guess you can't help who you love." He said, almost as an after thought. Both Joker and Ann involuntarily stiffened.

That word had been taboo ever since the one time she had ever said it. The night he left. The very thought of it made her throw everything back into question all over again. Was this love? Did he love her? He certainly had a funny way of showing it. But otherwise, why would he bother? He'd done a lot to keep her in his life. Hell, he'd done a lot just to find her so she 'could' be in his life. Surely if she was nothing more than a toy, something to pass the boredom, he wouldn't have done all that.

She glanced at Joker to see that he was pretending not to listen. Even though she knew full well that he had been. As had everyone else. Joker just didn't want to deal with the topic. Honestly, neither did she. And the two thugs didn't dare say a thing. From fear of Joker or fear of her, she couldn't guess. Probably the former.

It was silent again. The awkwardness was too thick for any of them to venture into. So Ann turned inward, trying to predict what would happen next. Thanks to being dragged out of court, she had no idea when the next hearing would be. Hopefully soon. She also didn't know how many more of them there would be. But eventually someone would make a decision about where to put them. Most likely, because of her crazy speech, they'd end up at Arkham. No one would dispute that Joker was crazy. Except maybe him. And Gordon had said himself that they were being tried together. So that's likely where she'd end up too. She had no idea what would happen to the thugs. Not that she cared all that much. But they were all kind of on the same side now. And Connor was probably just going to sit in this very cell a few days before Maroni got wind of it and threw his power around.

"Well. Life with you is never boring." She mumbled to herself about Joker. She caught a "hmm?" From him, but she waived him off. "Nothing."


	12. Chapter 12

 

It had been three days. Three days! Ann was about to start tearing down the walls with her bare hands. None of them had heard a word about the next court date. They'd been left to rot, forgotten. The only people they saw were the guards that came to deliver a meal three times a day. And they always ignored her when she asked questions.

Joker's passive attitude had begun to shift to a pissy one. But overall, his attitude was much better that the rest of them. The tall thug had begun pacing the day before. This grated on the chubby thug's nerves. He constantly complained about that and everything else he could think of. Ann had managed to talk the tall thug out of the deck of cards. She spent her to,e playing solitaire or shuffling them out of boredom. Connor sat in the corner of their shared cell, hardly saying a word. Joker kept to himself for the most part. Only offering conversation when someone else spoke.

They had to get out of here. Anything was better than being stuck here not knowing what was going on.

It was nearing lunch time when several police finally came to collect them. By now she was so pissed and wound up she didn't have to act crazy. All she had to do was say what she thought.

She spaced out on the way to the court room. Only snapping out of it once they were secured in the chairs.

"All rise." The bailiff was wasting no time today. "The honorable judge Gray presiding." The judge walked out and took his seat.

"Miss Giovanni, I've thought long and hard about your case. I honestly feel as if you really were an innocent being dragged about. But I think your extended time with the Joker has caused you extensive psychological damage. He's warped you so that your a mirror image of him. And your blatant disrespect for my council and refusal to cooperate have left me with little choice. I'm sentencing you to an extended period in Arkham Asylum, where you will be rehabilitated. Once they deem you psychologically stable and able to function in society, you will be released. But not before." He banged his gavil.

"As for the Joker, its unquestionable that he is legitimately insane. And without farther evidence to the contrary, I'm sentencing you to extensive therapy in Arkham Asylum. Once the doctors deem you mentally sound, your case will be reevaluated." He banged his gavil.

"I have something to say." Joker commented. The judge glanced at the bailiff. Clearly he was debating if it would be a good idea or not. "Okay. Go ahead." He finally conceded.

Joker stood up. Ann's mind was reeling. What could he possibly want to say to any of these people? "I just want you to remember this moment. Because what comes next is going to be much worse than anything 'I' have ever done. And the blame rests with you." He pointed at the judge and then at Gordon. Both men visibly cringed. Joker smiled maliciously and sat down.

The judge was visibly shaken. He motioned to the bailiff, who had the officers take them away.

Ann's head was still spinning from Joker's comment. Had he just told them that they were his next victims? What did he mean by 'what happens next'?

The cops locked them back in their cells and then took the two thugs away. Connor asked about the hearing. So Ann told him the judge's verdict. He sighed. "Sorry I wasn't able to help any." He told her. She smiled. "Its okay."

Now all that was left was to wait for them to be taken away.

Ann was honestly surprised it had even gotten this far. Surely there was some way to escape. Maybe her opinion of Joker was too high. Because she was next to certain that he could leave anytime he wanted. He just had to have an alterior motive for being here. It was really hard to believe that he was just as helpless as her.

And what about their friends? Devon and Bear were still out there. And Ash was surely with Devon. Had they not even considered a break out attempt? And what about all of Joker's thugs? Sure, she knew a few. But she knew he had others that she'd never met. Tall and Chubby were proof of that much. She never knew they existed until she was thrown in jail with them.

All the evidence was there. There was a reason no one had tried busting them out. He didn't want them to. He had a reason for being caught. Now that she thought of it, his actions were the very reason they got caught. Had he just let her jump out the window then followed, they'd have been fine. But instead he pistol whipped her upside the head and let himself get caught.

Sure. It was 'possible', she supposed, that she was connecting things wrong. Maybe Dev and Ash couldn't figure out a reasonable way to rescue them. Maybe his thugs decided not to risk being caught. Perhaps the elevator escape had been Joker's only plan. But if so, why did he go straight back to the ground floor? When it was the easiest place for the police to get to first. All these things could be a coincidence. But Ann didn't believe in coincidence anymore. At least, not when Joker was involved.

That did it. If she could ever find a moment with him alone, she was damn sure going to bring it up. She could do it now. But he'd never talk to her openly in front of Connor. Plus, she didn't want to confuse Connor more. He was smart. But he seemed to live in this imaginary world where people never keep secrets or lie. How he made it as a cop, she didn't know.

The two thugs never returned. It was almost time for their dinner when a hand full of police filed into the room. Ann was hand cuffed, and Joker had cuffs put on his hands and feet. The chain was just long enough for him to walk. They were lead through a different path to the back of the police station, where they were seperated and put in two seprate swat vans.

Once inside the van, Ann was surrounded with swat team members, her cuffs were chained to the floor of the van to another of those loop things, and the doors closed and locked securely behind her.

The ride to Arkham was quiet. The swat members with her virtually ignored her, with the exception of making sure she didn't try anything. It wasn't exactly comfortable either. The bench she sat on was hard and every bump in the road nearly threw her into the floor.

It was a long ride. As best as Ann knew, the asylum wasn't even in town. It was rumored to be far outside the outskirts of the city, surrounded by miles of forrest. This was to discourage inmates from escaping. Ann had no proof of this, of course. They were only rumors.

After what felt like forever, the van finally stopped moving. Ann was ushered out of the van and pushed along up to a set of doors. She was relieved to see Joker was right behind her. At least she wouldn't be going through this alone. One of their escorts hit the button on a buzzer and identified himself. A few moments later the doors opened and they were pushed inside.

Ann didn't have much of a chance to he a good look around. As soon as they were inside they were shoved through another one. This room appeared to be a large holding area for new patients. The swat team left them at this point and several guards from the prison took over. They handed her and Joker a bundle of clothes and a pair of black plastic flip flops. At this point they were separated. Ann was escorted to a large shower area where she showered under the supervision of a female guard. Once she was finished, she put on the clothes she had been given, a white pair of loose pants with a draw string and a plain white T-shirt with a number printed on the back. Her personal clothes were taken from her and she was ushered along a bleach white hallway until she reached an office.

A friendly looking woman with a lab coat was waiting for her.

"Hi. You must be miss Giovanni. I'm Angela. I'm going to be your personal psychiatrist." She said in a cheery voice. Ann resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. Another super chipper air head. She couldn't stand that crap. She simply nodded an acknowledgement.

"How are you liking the accommodations so far?" She asked in the same chipper voice. It grated on her nerves. She tried to ignore it. "Well, I haven't really seen much of it." Ann replied.

"Well, I have some forms for you to sign, and I'll need to give you your schedule and give you some information about how things work around here. Wake up time is 8 am. Breakfast is at 8:30. After breakfast you'll have a private counceling session with me. Then you'll have personal free time until lunch. Lunch is at noon. After lunch you'll go to a group therapy session. Then you'll have free time in the yard until dinner at 5. After dinner you'll have another private session then more personal time until lights out at 9. If you'll have trouble remembering all that, I've included it in your schedule."

The rest of the visit consisted of reading and signing paperwork. She figued it was best to cooperate at this point. She just wanted it over with so she could sleep in a real bed.

After she was finished with Angela the guards took her through more white as can be halls until they reached a large dining facility. It was similar to a school lunch cafeteria. She was instructed to grab a tray and wait in line behind about a dozen other inmates. at that point, the guards left her to stand by one of the doors to the large room. There were other guards scattered randomly. Doctors mingled about talking to patients and eating with them.

She looked at everyone suspiciously as she received her food in the lunch line. There was no telling what kind of crazies were in this place. She considered everyone a threat.

Once she had her food she looked around for a place to sit. Just about every spot was taken except a table way off in the corner. People looked to be avoiding the area, so she made for it with only slight hesitation.

Once she was closer she discovered the reason it was deserted. Joker sat in the middle of the picknick style table. His face paint was gone. But it was still unmistakably him. The table was occupied by only one other person, who sat at the opposite end. Laughing to herself at the way Joker seemed to repel everything, she took a seat across from him.

He was already half finished with his food when she sat down. He mumbled a greeting through the food in his mouth. "Yeah. Hi to you too." She said sarcastically.

Once he was finished chewing he gave her a better hello. Then asked how she liked the place. "I guess its not too bad." She conceded. "At least they have real food and beds here." He laughed a little at her joke and agreed. They compared schedules while they ate. Looked like they had an afternoon group session together. And they could mingle during yard time and meal times. She was happy with the fact that she wouldn't be completely isolated from him.

The big clock on one wall said it was 12:20 The group session was at 12:45. So they still had time before their group session together. She was eager to get past that and move on to her personal time. A real shower sounded like heaven. And a real bed sounded even better.

They didn't get up when they finished eating. Instead they stayed where they were and surveyed what they knew of the building and area.

The lunch room seemed to be the central hub of the building. There were two doors on each wall. The door Ann had come through was on the north wall. It led to the doctors' offices where they would have their private sessions. The door next to it, Joker told her, lead to the group therapy rooms. To the east both doors had big signs above them. One said male the other female. Joker explained that these were the patient's private rooms. To the west was the same setup. The only difference was that these were the rooms for the high risk and dangerous patients. This was where Joker would be staying. Ann would likely be in the east wing. On the south wall one door was clearly marked 'recreation room' and the other door led outside to the 'yard'.

At least it was a simple setup. She wouldn't have to worry about it being a maze to navigate. Ann still fully intended to escape this place. It would take some time to figure out the details. But this was in no way a permanent arrangement. Not for her.

She was reminded of her suspicion that Joker wanted to be here when she pictured him escaping with her.

She leaned over closer to him. "So I can count on you getting out of here with me right?" She asked in a low tone. He looked surprised. "Already planning a breakout on day one? Hmm?" She ignored his comment. "Yes or no." She said simply. He seemed skeptical. "You really think you need to ask?"

She thought about how to answer for a moment. "Look. Just level with me here. I know we're here for a reason. There's something you want out of this place. I don't care what it is. I just want to know that, when the time comes for me to leave, your going too." No point playing games now. She wanted the truth.

He was silent a moment. "You know, your smarter than I give you credit for sometimes."

She gave him a blank stare, still waiting for his answer. "I'll leave when you leave." He finally stated. She nodded. That was good enough for now. But she noticed that he didn't say he'd help her directly. He only said he'd leave when she did. Did that mean it was up to her? No matter. She'd get out of this place or die trying.

She stood before Joker to go dump her tray. He followed, not phased by her suddenly leaving. He dumped his tray and walked along beside and slightly behind her. It was obvious he was following her lead. But she paid it no nevermind. It was time for their group therapy. Part of the plan that Ann was forming required her to cooperate in all ways possible. She reasoned that in doing so the people who would pay the most attention to her would eventually decide she wasn't a risk and let their guard down.

They arrived to group therapy early. Ann entered the room with the number that cooresponded to the one on her schedule. Joker hesitated, then sighed and seemed to resign himself to this being a necessary thing.

There were only two other people in the room. One was the doctor Angela, and the other was a patient that she didn't know. After they entered, two guards appeared from nowhere and stood by the door. The doctor scowled at them but said nothing. Ann sensed some dissent between them. Perhaps she didn't like them sitting in on her session. That must mean someone higher up ordered it. Most likely because of Joker's presence. And that meant they were indeed being watched. But she had expected that.

Angela smiled broadly in greeting. "Miss Giovanni, good to see you again. And-" she paused "what name do you prefer, Mr. Joker?" She asked. Ann had a hard time keeping herself from laughing. The guards had no problem letting their amusement show. Angela glared at them a second time. "If the two of you are going to remain here, I'll need you to be respectful and silent." They quickly stopped laughing.

Joker coughed to get her attention. "Mr. Joker will be just fine." He said with a smirk on his face. She nodded.

Several minutes went by and three other people joined the room. All of them looked wary of Joker. Finally the session was about to begin. The chairs were arranged in a large circle. Angela instructed everyone to take turns standing and introducing themselves. Everyone complied except Joker, who simply said he needed no introduction.

After the introductions, the doctor asked everyone how their day had been. Each person took a turn describing the events of the day. Most of them had stupid and petty complaints about other people. This person called me this and that person took my jello during lunch. Then the doctor would go through this questionnaire where she'd ask things like: how does that make you feel, how do you feel you handled that, how could you have resolved that differently. It made Ann feel sick.

When it was her turn, Ann shared her experience with the ride to Arkham and what happened since she got there. And that was it. The doctor nodded. "I'm happy your having a good experience." She commented.

Joker's turn. Ann was curious what he would say. "Yeah. What she said." Pointing to Ann. She rolled her eyes. The doctor gave him a humorous look. "Well, Mr. Joker, the point is to share 'your' experience." She commented.

Joker smirked. "Well, her experience 'is' my experience. We did the exact same thing." He told her. A light bulb went off in Ann's mind. He was screwing with her. Seeing how far she could be pushed. The doctor nodded. "Well, that's true. You did arrive at the same time from the same place. But tomorrow I'll be expecting a different answer." Joker only smirked some more. Ann was laughing silently. She could expect the sun to turn purple if she wanted. But it would never happen.

After everyone had their turn the doctor instructed them to pair up with a partner to do an exercize. Ann automatically scooted closer to Joker. No way was she 'pairing up' with some wacko she didn't know. At least she knew the wacko she had chosen. The doctor seemed to take notice of Ann's automatic choice. So did the guy on her right. "Awe. How come he gets the pretty lady?" the man said. Max, she thought his name was. Joker answer for her. "Because she's mine." Joker told him. He didn't use a threatening voice. But the message was clear just the same.

Angela scowled. "We don't subjectify people as property here, Mr. Joker." She told him. "Subjectify? I haven't made her do anything. She chose me by herself, right princess?" He asked her, he used the word princess sarcastically. Ann scowled at him for using the fake pet name. She didn't like being called a princess.

"Ann, how do you feel about Joker's comments?" Angela asked, picking up on her annoyance. Ann glanced at Joker.

I wonder...

"I don't like it at all." She stated. The doctor urged her to continue. "Princess isn't good enough. You better start calling me your queen. Cause I'm not no little girl." She said to Joker. Angela's eyebrows rose in surprise. Joker smiled that evil smirk of his. "Very well. You'll be my queen of spades. And we'll paint the town red." The last part he said looking at the doctor. It was kinda creepy the way he said it, but Ann smiled really big, acting pleased with being called his queen.

"Right." The doctor said slowly. "Anyway. Now that everyone is paired up, I want you to look at your partner and give them a genuine compliment." She instructed. So, one group at a time, each pair said something nice about each other. It was finally their turn. "You have a nice ass." Joker told her. She smirked. Jerk.

"We don't use inappropriate language at this institution." Angela chided him. "Okay. Then she has a nice back door." He shrugged. Several of the other patients laughed. The doctor frowned but let it slide.

Since he was using her to make a point, Ann decided to make him uncomfortable as well. "You look very handsome without your face paint." She told him innocently. And she didn't have to lie. He really did.

Joker's face held a malicious smile, but his eyes were boring into her soul, as if to say -I'll make you pay for that-.

"Okay. Good." The doctor stated, having apparently missed the silent exchange. "Now do the same thing again, only instead of compliments, I want you to give a mild insult.

_Greeeaaat. This should be fun_.

So the partners again took turns. The insults ranged from 'your clumsey' to 'you talk too much'. Ann was beginning to get bored when it was their turn again.

"You need to work on your stances. There too short and choppy. Makes for a terrible partner when I'm constantly worrying about your feet." Joker commented. Ann glared at him. The doctor was obviously lost, as she had no idea what he was talking about. "Yeah?" Ann said sarcastically "Well you need to learn to controlled your hooks. Bout took my head off half a dozen times." She told him, with just a hint of wounded pride.

"Okay!" Angela was back to the fake chipper voice. "Now which felt better? The insults, or the compliments. Everyone, of course, said the compliments. "I want you all to remember that the next time your in a bad situation. Practice giving people compliments instead of insults, and we'll all be a lot happier." Ann rolled her eyes. And she had, God only knew, how many more days of this shit before she found a way out of here.

Angela dismissed them and they made their way back to the cafeteria. It was free time in the yard now. Patients had a choice of staying in their rooms, sitting in the cafeteria, being creative in the recreation room, or going outside. Ann decided to go outside. She wanted a better idea of where they were and what surrounded the area. Joker was apparently happy with her choice, and followed without objection.

Once outside Ann could see a tall fence a ways away that looked like it went all the way around the compound. There ware barb wire rings all along the top of the fence. There was a shorter fence just inside the tall one. There was more barb wire on it too. There were metal signs spaced at different intervals on the tall fence that said 'warning, electricity' in big black letters.

_Terrific. Its electrified. That's going to be fun._

In her mind she pictured trying to climb an electric fence. Cringing, she immediately discarded that idea. They would either have to find another way, or turn the power off.

There was a gravel walkway along the inside of the fence that ran all the way around. Her pamphlet thing said it was a running track for exercize.

There was a basket ball and tennis court on this side of the big building. There was also a workout area in one corner by the building. There was a bench press, a rack of bar bell weights, a pull up bar, and several benches to sit on. She decided she might spend some time there later.

She walked out to the running track and began to walk along the border of the fence, surveying the area. So far, all she saw on the other side of the fence was forest. there wasn't anything else notable around on the other side of the building. Only the numerous guards with rifles that watched the prisoners from the top of the building. The building itself was three stories tall, with bars on all the windows. It formed the shape of a giant x. Ann figured this was because of the way everything we sectioned off. North wing, south wing, east, and west.

She had walked to the east side of the building. In this corner of the x was a big field area that Ann assumed people could play football or soccer in. There was a large oak tree near the center of the area, and wild flowers grew in random patches all over. She continued on.

On the north side Ann recognised the doors they had come through when they arrived. There was a gravel road that made a big circle and then continued out through a gate in both fences. The gate was electronic, programmed to open only when someone pressed the right code on a panel that was on the outside, well out of reach. There was nothing else remarkable over here. So she continued her walk. On the west side there was another big open field. It had two smaller oak trees off to one side and more wild flowers. Ann found Joker lounging against one of the trees, waiting for her.

She wandered over to him and sat down.

"Wha'd ya think?" He asked. She sighed. "Looks difficult. We're either going to have to cut the power to the fence or find another way through it. And no chance of doing any of that durrimg 'yard time' with all the guards on the roof." She commented. He only nodded.

"Have you been here before or something? You seem to already know a lot about this place." Ann commented. He shrugged. "I did my research when I moved here." He told her. That made sense. Of course he would be prepared. He probably already had a fool proof escape plan laid out.

"What would you do?'' She asked. ''Ah ah. That's cheating.'' He wagged a finger at her. She scowled. ''Hey, were in this together. Why should I even include you in anything if your not going to contribute?" She asked, appealing to his logic. He sighed. "The best way to go about it is to go with the laundry. But we'll have to watch for them taking it to figure out their schedule. Second option is to do like you said. Find the breaker box that controlls the fence and either turn it off or sabotage it. Then we have a ten mile trek through forest and then another twenty miles of country to look forward to before we reach the city." He told her.

She thought about what he said. He was right, going with the dirty laundry would be the easiest. Then they could ride all the way to civilization instead of trekking through the wilderness and trying to avoid search parties.

Alright, you concentrate on finding the breaker box, and I'll watch for the laundry schedule and where they keep the dirty clothes." She suggested. He nodded.

"In the mean time, let's do our best not to draw attention to ourselves." She told him. He gave her one of those 'no way' looks. "If they think were not going to make trouble then they'll pay less attention to us." She reasoned. He snickered. You do what you want toots. Pretty sure I'm going to draw attention either way. So I'll just do my own thing." He told her. He had a point. Literally every person here and their dog knew who he was.

Ann noticed his gaze drift away and turned to see what he was looking at. "Looks like trouble." He told her. There was a group of three inmates headed their way. Three males, one shorter than the rest. They walked with an attitude that told here someone was going to end up hurt. Likely one or all of them.

"Hey little girl. Why you waisting all your time on the clown? Why don't you come hang out with a real man." She sneered at him. "If you see one somewhere, be sure to let me know." She said sarcastically. Joker laughed.

"You must be just as fucked in the head as he is. Why else talk to a freak?" The trio laughed.

"I'll make this clear," she said, standing up "you three don't have the intelligence or the equipment to keep 'me' occupied. You call him a freak again, and someone's gonna get their ass whupped. And it won't be either of us."

"Someone needs to put you in your place." The mouthy one said, he motioned for the other two guys. The three of them advanced on her. She dropped into a comfortable stance and waited. Joker was content to watch from the comfort of his tree.

The one on her left made a move first. He made a grab for her hair. She ducked and caught his wrist, flipping his hand upside down and holding him in an arm bar between herself and the other two. The man thrashed, trying to break loose. But she held him tightly. The other two leapt towards he at once. She kicked her captive behind the knee, pushing him at the same time toward the second attacker. He tumbled into the mouthy one's feet, causing him to trip and fall on his face. The third one was close enough to swing. She caught his wrist like she had the first. But this time she levered his arm over her shoulder and flipped him over her back. He landed on top of the two that were already on the ground, neatly knocking them back down.

"Widen your stances more!" Joker called. "Picture me trying to stand next to you while you do all that. Your motions are too choppy." He told her. It was obvious he was trying to help. Not aggravate her. She nodded.

The three idiots had picked themselves up by now. She waited for them to collect themselves. "Take my advice and back off. Next time you attack me I'll hurt more than your pride." She told them.

"Your just a stupid bitch!" The mouthy one yelled. He made to come at her a second time. The other two looked hesitant, but followed anyway.

This time the right reached her first this time. He made to round house kick her in the head. She caught his ankle and brought her elbow down hard on his knee. She felt and heard a snapping crunch as the knee dislocated, and possibly fractured.

The other two were already on her. She barely had time to dodge one punch and duck under another. She brought her palm up to smash Mr Mouth in the nose, leaping from her crouch to put more force behind it. Another crunch signaled a broken nose. The third assailant apparently came to his senses and backed way up before running away. He didn't make it far. He was caught by three guards who had come to break up the fight.

one guard restrained him while the other two made their way to her. One of them called on his walkie for medical to come for the two injured morons. The other asked her what had happened. Ann went over the entire encounter in detail. "I gave them plenty of chances to leave me alone.'' She concluded. The guard nodded. "We've had trouble with them before. Now maybe they'll tone it down some. But don't go using that fancy shit on anyone else." He warned her.

"If someone attacks me I'm going to defend myself." She told him. "But only if someone attacks me." He nodded and left her alone to help the medical staff collect the two injured people at their feet.

Ann walked back to Joker and sat back down. They watched the medical staff cart off the two. Once they were alone again Ann sighed. "I was hoping to keep that a secret. now the guards know I can kick their ass.''

Joker shrugged. "Sometimes you have to show your hand to win the game." He commented. His analogy was comical. "Yeah. But only if you have better cards that everyone else." She said. He smiled. "I guess were just going to have to be better than everyone else then." They spent the rest of the yard time enjoying each others company.

At 5 on the dot they were all herded inside for dinner. Ann and Joker waited in line patiently for their food. Once their plates were full they both walked to the same table in the corner and sat down to eat. No one joined them this time.

Ann caught parts of the the conversations floating around them. Everyone was talking about Ann beating up Joe and his crew. Some of them were wild and outlandish. She hears one guy say that she had broke a mans back over her knee. Complete nonsense, of course. It wasn't possible for someone as small as her to actually lift a grown man up and snap him over her knee. Joker probably could though.

Like lunch time, the doctors mingled, chatting with patients here and there. Ann saw doctor Angela off in the distance making her way towards them. Ann suppressed a sigh.

She finally made it to them a minute later. "Hi miss Giovanni. How did you enjoy your yard to,e today?" Ann knew damn well she already knew about the incident with Mr. Mouth. She wasn't about to go over the whole thing all over again. "Can you please just call me Ann?" She asked instead. Angela smiled. "Of course!'' She said happily. Jeez. Was she always this happy?

"I hear you made quite a show during free time." She mentioned. Ann shrugged. "Punks brought it on themselves." She commented.

Angela looked slightly miffed about her comment. "Dont you think you could have handled that a little better?" She asked. Her tone made Ann feel like she was trying to scold a child. "No. They attacked me and I defended myself. End of story." Ann told her. Angela scowled slightly. "Well, in the future you should seek assistance if that kind of situation arises."

Ann scoffed. "And then what? They get chided like little school boys and then go back to harassing people? At least my method teaches them a lesson." Angela frowned and, having heard enough, walked away.

Ann's private session was scheduled at 5:30. Joker's was at 6. Ann sighed. She was sure to hear more bull crap from that doctor. It was only her first day and she was sick to death of Angela already.

At 5:25 she said good bye to Joker, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. She was feeling slightly sentimental because she didn't know if she'd see him again until tomorrow. He smiled at her girlish show of affection as she walked away to dump her trash and return her tray. Then she headed into the north wing towards the private offices for her session.

Ann found Angela's office easily. She knocked on the door, not wanting to burst in unannounced. The happy voice of Angela yelled 'come in' and Ann opened the door.

Ann sat down in the same chair she sat in earlier that day and awaited the inevitable. Angela smiled at her. ''Good to see you again, Ann.'' She said politely. Ann nodded. ''You too.''

"I'll just get straight to it. Ann, I feel like you've been spending an awful lot of time with Mr. Joker. Isn't he the reason your here to begin with?" She asked. Ann shrugged. "I guess so."

"Judge Gray mentioned in his notes that he felt you had been strongly manipulated by the Joker. So much so that your personality and mental state have been warped. How do you feel about that?" She asked.

She sure as hell wasn't holding anything back now that they were alone. "I wouldn't really say my state of mind has been effected. You just have to know how to handle him." She commented honestly.

"Well, seeing as how this is where you ended up, wouldn't you say you've handled him rather poorly?" She reasoned. Ann frowned. "Look, I've made some bad choices. I know that. But honestly, I don't belong in this place. My mind is perfectly sound.'' She insisted.

Angela's expression lightened "I know its a bit hard to get used to. But for the time being, it looks like your stuck here.'' Ann sighed, visibly showing her unhappiness. Two could play this game. She'd take a cue from Joker and play with her a bit. Perhaps this Angela could be useful for something.

"It's just that, well Joker's the only person here I know. Everyone else frightens me. I mean, they're all here for a reason right? There's no telling what kind of person someone is or what they're capable of. I'm just glad my dad taught me a little karate. I can somewhat defend myself." Ann put just enough whining into her tone to make her sound frightened.

"Don't worry. Our security staff is very capable and thorough. They'll make sure no one hurts you." Angela reassured her.

Bingo. Sympathy card. This woman obviously cared about each and every one of her patients. Possibly a bit too much. If she could find a way to use that to her advantage...

The rest of their conversation was relatively normal. Angela told her about their 'point' system. The point system was designed to allow more stable patients some smaller freedoms while keeping them safe from the more dangerous people. When a person shared something personal or made progress in their therapy they gained points, moving them up the board. The best behaved patients received access to the second story rec room, complete with vending machines, pool tables, tv's, video games, and several pay phones. The points gained them access to anything from the ability to use a pencil to the use of pay phones at the top of the list. People that were well behaved were allowed to have relatives mail them packages containing anything they wished, within reason. Cigarettes were a common commodity. They were used as a type of currency among the inmates. Shampoos and lotions were popular among the females. Razers were strictly forbidden. The guards made sure to carefully inspect each and every package that was received.

Once all that was taken care of it was someone else's session time. Ann said good bye politely and left the doctor's office. She headed back to the cafeteria on her way to find her room.

The cafeteria still had people mingling about. But there was no sign of Joker anywhere. She assumed he was either in his own session or had gone elsewhere. People whispered about her as she walked by. She was only able to catch parts of what they heard one person say something about Joe's revenge plot. But she couldnt hear all of it. Shrugging it off, she continued on her way. If he wanted to try her again, so be it. She'd break more than his nose next time.

She was half way through the cafeteria when she ran into the very person she had just been silently threatening. Joe, or 'mouth' as she had begun calling him, stepped between her and the door to the private rooms. Ann glanced at the guards at the door. They were watching closely. But they seemed disinclined to take action unless it was necessary.

_Capable and thorough, my ass._

Mouth had a bandage covering his nose and both his eyes were black from the force of her attack earlier. "I just wanted you to know, you'll be paying for what you did sooner rather than later." Ann sighed "a smart person would have learned their lesson by now. Guess your not all that bright." She commented

His temper flared and he started to make a move at her, but stopped himself and looked over his shoulder at the guards.

"I'll be seeing you soon. I'm gonna make you beg me for more." He winked at her sarcastically and walked off.

"Ugh. Pig." She said, more to herself than anything. Let's just see him try. She continued on her way and passed between the two guards through the door that would lead to where her room was.

The halls in this wing were just as bleach white as the rest of the place. It was distasteful to her eyes. She glanced at her schedule. Her room number was marked 116. The nearest door was number 12. Sighing, she walked on. A few minutes later she reached the hundreds. Coming to room 116, she hesitated. No one had given her a key. And the door clearly had a lock on it. Several in fact. She turned the door knob and the door opened easily.

Once inside, she looked around. The room was small, but not unbearably so. There was a bed in one corner and a dresser against the wall beside it. A window was in the center with bars on the outside. To the right a door led to a small bathroom that held a shower stall, a toilet, and a small sink all crammed into it. At least this was her own personal space. She wouldn't have to share with anyone. There was a laundry basket next to the door to the bathroom. Ann made a note to check the room several times a day to better identified when someone came to collect it.

On top of the dresser was a key with her room number attached to it. Ahe assumed this allowed her to lock the door to prevent other patients from entering.

In the dresser there were more white clothes with her number on it and several sets of white sports bras ands underware in the bottom two drawers. In the top drawer was a hair brush, comb, hair ties, and several more pair of the black plastic flip flops. Ann had seen several patients wearing regular shoes. She made a mental note to ask Angela what she had to do to get them.

On the bathroom sink she found scentless shampoo and an unopened bar of soap. There were towels hanging on a towel rack next to the shower.

Ann decided to take a shower. A real one where she wasn't being watched by a stranger. She got the shampoo and soap and practically tore off the annoying white uniform.

Stepping into the hot water was like heaven. She hadn't had a real shower in forever. Since before she had been thrown in jail. She was half afraid she was beginning to stink. She lathered the shampoo in her hair and washed herself thoroughly.

After spending what felt like an hour just soaking in the hot water she finally turned it off and dried herself with the towel. She threw her dirty clothes in the hamper and re-dressed in a fresh uniform.

Now what? She looked at the clock that hung on the wall. It was almost 7:30. Lights out wasn't until 9. Ann was glad to have so much free time. This place wasn't at all what she had expected. She'd heard horror stories about the asylum from when that Crane guy was a lead doctor here. Several years ago the crazy guy had tried to dump halucinegen in the water supply. Half the town went crazy until Batman stopped him. But that had been in town. Perhaps the people in charge had moved the asylum out here after that incident to try to start fresh. The alternative theory was that there was a much worse side to this place than what she had seen so far.

Ann decided to switch it up a bit and braided her wet hair. Once she was finished she glanced into the mirror. She looked sleek and in control with her hair this way. She liked it.

With an hour and a half before bed time, Ann decided to go check out the recreation room. She made her way back to the cafeteria. This time she crossed the large room without any annoying confrontation.

The door to the rec room was wide open. Several patients sat at tables that were scattered randomly throughout the room. Some were sculpting. Some were painting. There was a doctor who sat at a desk in the corner. She was reading a book. Every few minutes she'd glance up to check on the people in the room.

Off against one wall Ann spotted Joker. He was sitting at a small table that held a chess set. It looked like he was playing a game with himself.

Ann waked over and sat across from him. "Care for a real opponent?" She asked. He glanced at her. "I don't know about opponent, but I'll take you any day." Ann brushed off his comment. She supposed it was supposed to be a compliment.

She helped Joker reset the board. He stuck her with the white pieces. She hated white. And she hated going first in chess. She liked to base her opening move on what the other person did.

She decided on a defensive strategy and moved the pawn in front of her rook. After that the game was on. Some turns Joker seemed to take forever to move. Other times he barely had to look at the board before it was her turn again.

They played chess together the rest of the evening until it was almost 9. Ann told him good night at about 8:50. He walked her to the door to the east wing and waited while she waived and slipped through the door before he went to his own room.

Once Ann was in her room she noticed that her dirty clothes were still in the hamper. That meant they probably collected them sometime in the morning. Probably while everyone was at breakfast. But she would have to wait until after breakfast in the morning to come check and make sure.

If she could pin point exactly when they collected the laundry she could find a way to be nearby and watch where they took it afterward.

Ann laid down on the bed. It wasn't the most comfortable bed she'd ever been in. But compared to sleeping on a bench it was perfect. She snuggled under the covers and waited. At 9 exactly the lights went out on their own. A few minutes later someone cracked the door open, checked that she was inside, then closed and locked the door.

Exhaisted, Ann fell asleep almost immediately, dreaming of dancing clowns and an escape to freedom hidden in a pile of laundry.

 


	13. Chapter 13

 

Ann awoke to the sound of something clicking from across the room. It was pitch black in her little room. It took her a moment to find the source of the noise. It was her door. Someone was opening her door! Stunned, it took her a moment to react. She scrambled out of bed, preparing to defend herself. By that time, the person was already in her room. She couldn't see. No light poured in from the hallway. Everything was black. The only light was a faint one cast through the window. But it wasn't enough for her to properly see.

A slight scuff of someone's foot alerted her just seconds before they made a grab for her. The person caught her by the hair, yanking her backwards. She managed to roll and retain her footing in a crouch. She swept her foot out in an arc, catching the intruder's feet and sending them tumbling to the floor.

The intruder scrambled to their feet. A moment later there was a loud thud and Ann could barely make out the sight of the intruder collapsing. She remained in her crouch, ready for what ever else was in there with her. A faint figure stepped into the light from the window. Ann nearly fell over with relief when she saw it was Joker. He must have knocked the intruder upside the head before he could attack her again.

He raised a finger to his lips in a silent 'shh'. Probably anticipating her reaction. "What the hell is going on?" She whispered.

"Found out about his plan last night. So I snuck in here and waited for him." He explained. She was shocked. "You've been in here all night?! She began to raise her voice. "Shhh!" Joker stepped over the figure on the floor and quietly pushed her door shut. She only had one guess to who it was. It had to be Mouth.

"How did you get in here? How'd you get out of your room?" She asked, still in shock. He laughed quietly. "I didn't think you'd figured it out yet. Check your door's lock in the morning." He told her.

She was ready to pull her hair out. "Well why the fuck didn't you wake me up?" She accused. He laughed quietly. "I like watching you sleep." She shivered.

"Ugh, I could smack you." She said angrily. He was across the room in an instant, his face inches from hers. "Do it then. I'm right here."

That's when it hit her. They were all alone, no one watching, in a room with a bed. The tension between them was thick. All the frustration from the past several weeks hit her at once.

She breached the last few inches between them in an instant. Her lips landing on his in full force. She felt his arms circle around her waist, pulling her against him. His hands traveled down her back to grab her ass. He lifted her easily as she wrapped her legs around him.

They were on the bed a second later, his body pressing her back into the mattress. She tugged his shirt over his head and let her hands roam over his back, finding all the familiar scars that she always loved so much. He was kissing her neck now. He bit down on her soft flesh, causing her to moan. He stripped her of her shirt and her bra came off few moments later.

She burried her hands in his hair as he left soft kisses in a trail down her cleavage. He captured her nipple in his mouth, causing her to jerk and moan a second time as he sucked till it was hard and swollen between his lips.

She could feel his cock hard between her legs. She was so ready for this. She yanked at the draw string on his pants and pulled them down as far as she could reach. He obliged her and stripped himself completely.

Tenderly, she reached down and took him in her hands, stroking the length of his shaft. His mouth was on hers a second later in a kiss that was hot and heavy. With her free hand, she pulled off her own pants and panties, pausing a moment to kick them off her feet.

She wrapped her legs around his waste and moments later he was deep insider her. Her eyes rolled back and she groaned with lust. He started slowly at first, enjoying her need for him. He smirked above her at how much she wanted this. How much she wanted him. Annoyed with his silent sarcasm, she grabbed his hair and pulled him closer to her while she squeezed him with her legs, causing him to plunge deeper inside her.

He picked up his pace at her urging. Pumping in and out of her soft warmth. She almost lost it. He kissed her passionately and she dug her finger nails into his shoulders. She moaned in his mouth as he pushed her closer to the edge. He nipped at her lower lip, drawing blood. The sweet tangy taste mixed into their kiss while he pounded into her.

She couldn't hold herself back any longer. With one long hard thrust he pushed her over the edge. She burried her face in his neck to muffle her scream of ecstacy. He collapsed on her. Both breathing heavily.

They stayed like that for a long time, just enjoying the feeling of skin on skin. Ann felt the sweat that had worked up all over her body begin to dry, giving her a cool tingling feeling all over. She nuzzled his neck affectionately. He leaned up on his elbows to look at her. "I missed you." He told her sincerely. She smiled "I missed you too." They shared a sweet kiss before he got up to get dressed.

Ann pulled her clothes back on haphazardly, not really caring what they looked like. About the time she was done she glanced at Joker, who was bending down grabbing Mouth by the legs. "What will you do with him?" She asked. He shrugged. " I'll just drag him off a ways and leave him in the hall. That'll be a funny scene when they find him in the morning." He told her.

Realizing he was about to leave, Ann hurried over to him to give him one last kiss good bye. "See you in the morning." She told him. He nodded, telling her good night before opening the door and checking the hall for guards. He then dragged the unconscious man out the door and down the hall. Ann shut the door behind him. She walked back across the room and fell back on her bed. She laid there a moment before letting herself fall into a blissful sleep.

* * *

 

The lights kicked on at exactly 8 am and a recorded wake up message played obnoxiously over the speakers. Ann groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. She hadn't even noticed there were any speakers! Just one more reason to hate this place and leave as soon as possible.

Ann sighed and fixed her messed up clothes, remembering they were messed up because of what had happened in the middle of the night. She blushed involuntarily. God, he was probably going to be insufferable today. Her pants were on backwards for fucks sake. She then brushed and re braided her hair before going to the door to inspect the lock like Joker had suggested.

It took her a minute to figure it out. The lock itself had been intact. It was the slot in the doorframe that the lock clicked into. It was stuffed with what looked like the ripped corner of a sheet. It was stuffed just full enough that the door would latch but the lock wouldn't catch. Annoyed, she yanked the piece of fabric out and stuffed it in her pocket to use later. From now on, no one was using that trick on her but her.

Ann headed out of her room, remembering to take the key, and locked it securely behind her. After all, the illusion of security was better than the truth. The moment she turned away from her door someone screamed and a few seconds later an alarm sounded through the building. The people that had been in the hall heading for breakfast all bolted back to their rooms, leaving the doors open. Ann followed suit. They must have found Mr. Mouth. Which told her night security was a bit lax here. Or at least in the area she was staying in. Surely someone patrolling the halls would have found him by now.

Several guards came running by followed by a security detail that checked each room for its occupant. After seeing she was in her room they moved on to the next one. After five minutes the alarm stopped and someone came over the speakers telling everyone that it was okay to leave their rooms again.

So Ann, acting just as confused as everyone else, stepped out of her room and made sure to lock it behind her again. This time there was no fuss as she headed towards the cafeteria with the rest of the people in her wing.

She got in line with everyone else and picked up a tray. She noticed Joker was several spaces ahead of her in line. She couldn't see his face, but she imagined he was probably smirking right now because of Mouth being found in the hall. She smiled to herself. That dude would be in deep shit when he woke up. They'd probably have guards posted on him day and night.

She reached the cafeteria workers and asked for eggs, hash browns, and bacon. She got a carton of chocolate milk out of a nearby cooler then walked across the room to Joker's corner table.

He had already started eating when she arrived. "How'd ya sleep last night?" He asked playfully. She smiled a little. "Before or after I found a lunatic in my room?" She asked quietly. He scoffed. "I hope you don't mean me." She shrugged and took a bite of egg. Picking on him was fun.

Ann's private session wasn't until 9:15. So she took her time eating. Joker's was at 9:45. "I think I have a lead on some useful information." He told her casually. Well that was good news. "The person who's been incarcerated here the longest." He explained. "Only problem is, I can't get him to talk. No one can. Apparently he hasn't spoken to anyone in 6 years."

Ann groaned. "Well that's less than helpful." She told him. His expression soured. "I've only been here a day toots. What have you come up with?" He replied sarcastically. She glared back at him. "Quit calling me toots!"

"I have to check my room every chance I get to see when they take the dirty clothes. Once I know an approximate time, I'll find an excuse to sneak away and follow the people who take it.'' She told him. He nodded. "Well, we have work to do then. See ya later." Ann guessed he was done with his food. He got up and dumped his tray before disappearing in the mass of people that occupied the cafeteria.

Annoyed, she finished the last of her food then dumpped her tray before heading back to her room. She only glanced in her room to check the laundry. Seeing that it was still there, she re-locked her door and then headed for her session with doctor Angela.

Her timing couldn't have been better. She had arrived a little earlIer than necessary. She was glad she had. The obvious voices of a pair arguing echoed through the wood door. Ann smirked. Any information was more than she had at the moment. And this private argument may be useful. Ann leaned against the wall next to the door to hear better.

"-dont care how in control you think you are. You disobeyed a direct order, Angela! Your lucky he didn't gut you on the spot." A male voice, clearly someone in charge, yelled.

"Patient confidentiality is the law! How can I guarantee my patient his confidentiality if I'm forced to have one of your flunkies sit in on a session?!" Angela's voice shot back. It dawned on Ann that the 'patient' they were referring to must have been Joker. Who else could it have been?

"He's a criminal! A mass murdering psychopath! And you want to sit in a room alone with him because of confidentiality? I'd rather face ten lawsuits over confidentiality than to have one of my leading doctors wind up dead!" The male voice shot back.

Several guards came around the corner, forcing Ann to back away from the door casually as if she was waiting her turn patiently and NOT eaves dropping.

By the time they were past her the argument was over and the male voice had opened the door. He was in such a fit of rage he nearly plowed over her. He mumbled an apology before going on his way as quickly as possible, slamming the door behind him.

_Well now. Isn't that interesting_?

**We can use this.**

It had already been clear that there was a tension between Angela and the security. Perhaps it ran with the other doctors as well. Ann had gained two things from this chance encounter. One was that, not only did Angela care deeply for her patients, but that she was also very professional. To the point where she put her own life in danger to uphold the law. The second was that there was deep resentment between herself and not only the guards, but that man. He was either her boss or the head of security. Ann was guessing her boss by the way he was acting.

Ann knocked on the door after a moment. Angela answered with a 'come in'. So Ann opened the door.

Angela looked tired and stressed. Did this sort of thing happen often?

"Come in, Ann. Have a seat." Angela said nicely. "Sorry our session is starting a bit late." She added once Ann had sat down. Ann waived it off. "It's fine. I could hear some arguing. I didn't want to disturb you..." Ann trailed off. Angela sighed. "Sorry about that. We had a difference of opinion."she said professionally.

Ann frowned. "Was that guy your boss? He didn't seem very nice." She said innocently. Angela nodded. "That was Mr. Parker. There are quite a few issues he and I disagree on." She answered. "Oh." Ann commented.

"But enough of all that." Angela said, back to her chipper voice. "How was your first day with us?" Ann took a moment to think. "Well, I guess its not too bad. There seems to be a lot of activities to keep me from being bored when I get free time. Honestly, its not what I expected at all. Ever since that poison thing a couple years back, I had it in my mind this place was more like a horror show."

Angela cringed. "Yes, we get that a lot. One bad person can easily ruin a good reputation." Ann frowned in fake confusion. "One bad person?" She asked. Angela nodded. "Doctor Crane was our head psychiatrist. He was brilliant. He even produced many of the blueprints and designed much of the facility were in now." Ann was clearly surprised. It showed. "But I guess this life was a bit too much for him. Some of my colleagues speculate that working with so many mentally ill people wore on his mind. He went mad out of nowhere. It was such a shock for everyone."

**Good, keep her talking. Less information for her, more for you.**

"What happened to him?" Ann asked in a concerned voice. Angela sighed again. "Well, we keep him here. He's far to hostile to be let out with the rest of the populace. He has to be on a set schedule of his own."

_Interesting_..

"That's got to be hard. I mean, how do you handle something like that?" Ann asked. "Well, I'm one of the only two people he will even talk to. So its left up to us to tend to him and try to help him through his psychosis." She elaborated. Ann was detecting a bit of a soft spot for this Crane guy. Maybe she could exploit that somehow.

There was a sudden knock at the door, causing both women to jump. "Oh, I'm sorry Ann. Its time for my next session. I'm afraid we'll have to cut this short." Angela said. She actually looked sad to see Ann go.

"It's fine. I know your busy. I'll just talk to you later, okay?" Ann said as she stood up to leave. Angela said 'come in' for the next person. The door opened and low and behold, Joker walked into the room. He winked at her as she moved past him to the door. After she left two guards accompanied him inside and shut the door.

This was a big deal. The information she had just learned could be huge. Or it could be nothing at all. If they could get to this Crane guy he could tell them the easiest route to escape. He could practically lead them to freedom. On the other hand, if he was as screwed up as doctor Angela believed, he may be no help at all. She had said he was incredibly hostile. But the fact that he still talked to one or two people he liked was hopeful. She had a lot to think about. And Joker wouldn't be around to bounce ideas off of for another half hour.

Ann decided to check out the art room and maybe try her hand at a little painting. Being artistic was relaxing. So she made her way there. No one bothered with her as she walked across the cafeteria to the rec room. The door was wide open just like last time. There were several patients here and there doing various arts and crafts. And the same doctor as before sat behind her desk like last time.

Ann wandered over to the painting supplies. She picked out a canvas and some colors that she liked and sat at one of craft tables.

Then, nothing. She stared at the blank white canvas for a long time, trying to decide what to paint. It should be something that spoke to her soul. Something dark like she was yet beautiful. She finally decided to make the background dark. She threw on dark colors from deep crimson to black to dark velvet purple. Seeming to get the hang of it she let her mind drift off as she layered color over color to crest the image in her mind.

She had just finished when the doctor in the room announced it was almost lunch time. Ann sat back and looked at her creation. A beautiful red rose sat atop the dark colors. The bright red of the petals and green of the stem and leaves were a sharp contrast to the dark purple and crimson background. And there was just a touch of blood dripping from the thorns on the stem.

Ann was please with her painting. It was everything she had wanted to create. Beauty and elegance amid darkness with just a hint of the danger that lies beneath the surface. Happy with herself, she carefully placed the painting on a shelf to dry. Luckily, it would be dry by the time she was finished with lunch. Acrylic, the type of paint she had chosen, dried much faster than oil paint. If she had used oils she would be nowhere near finished, and she'd be waiting weeks for it to dry.

Once in the cafeteria she got in line and chose her food before walking to their table in the corner. She actually arrived before Joker this time, which made her happy for some reason. He wasn't far behind her. She had only just taken her second bite when he sat down beside her.

"You won't believe this. I found something big. Could be better than the laundry idea." She told him happily. "Well good. Cause the laundry idea is dead in the water." He grumbled. After she asked what he was talking about he elaborated. "They x-ray all the laundry before it goes to be washed. Some sap tried to escape that way a few months back. So they installed xray machines just a week ago."

"Well isn't that convienent." She said sarcastically. "But hey, this is better anyway. You know that guy that poured a bunch of hallucinogen in the water a few years back?" She asked.

"You mean Scarecrow?" Joker asked, bored. "What, scarecrow? No this guys name is Crane. And he used to be the head psychiatrist here. He's locked up here somewhere." She explained.

He sighed. "Yes I know he's here and since I hadn't seen him I kinda figured he was locked up in a hole. What's your point?" He asked. His attitude suggested he'd been having a bad day. "Okay, smart ass, did you know that he developed the blue prints for this place and designed it himself?" She asked, showing her annoyance with his attitude.

He perked up a bit. "That I did not know. Interesting..." He trailed off in thought.

"He might know an easy way out of here." She continued. He nodded. "That's probably how he escaped so easily when he was first caught." He commented. "He's already escaped once? I definitely think its worth looking into. Even if he can't show us an easy way out, he could still give us valuable information. Like where the weak spots in security are." He nodded again.

The table leaned suddenly and Ann looked up to see the chubby thug from the jail sitting down across the table from her. The tall thug sat beside him. "Hey!" She said happily. "When did you guys get here? It was nice to see a familiar face.

"They processed us this morning." The tall thug told her. She made a mental note to figure out what their actual names were, now that she knew they were a more permanent addition to her current life.

"Yeah, and guess who joined us." The chubby thug commented, pointing over his shoulder. Ann looked up to see Connor, looking dejected, trying to decide if he should sit or not. Seeing her, he sat down with the rest of them.

"Oh no, Connor what happened?" Ann asked. She felt really bad seeing him there. It had to be her fault.

"Gordon threw me in as one of Joker's thugs. They made me look like a turn coat sent to spy on the police." He said angrily.

"I'm so sorry." She said. "Eh, they all hated me anyways. They were just looking for an excuse to get rid of me." He told her.

Joker didn't look happy about him being there. He broke into their conversation by talking over them to his thugs. "Glad you finally joined the party. I need all the info you can find on Scarecrow and where he's being kept. Also, try to find the shut off switch to the fences." He told them. Both men were practically at attention where they sat. "Sure boss." They said in unison.

"What? We"re already planning a breakout?'' Connor asked, slightly astounded.

"We? I don't know you. Your not one of my boys. Your just a low beat cop with no friends. Why should I take you?" Joker said harshly.

Ann jumped in "He's Maroni's nephew. Could be advantageous to have the mob boss owe you one. Besides, he tried to help us out back at the jail." Ann commented, trying to appeal to his sense of reason.

Joker thought on in a few moments. "Okay mini mobster. You wanna join up with me? Fine. But you do what I say when I say. No questions. Got it?"

Connor looked like he really wanted to refuse. But a stern look from Ann convinced him to nod. "Alright." He said slowly.

"Good. You can start by making sure that no one touches her." He pointed to Ann, who glared at him. "If I'm not with her you will be. Got it?" Connor nodded.

"Excuse me, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I think I proved that brilliantly yesterday." She told him, rather annoyed that he thought she needed protection.

He ignored her completely. "And another thing, I give the orders. You listen to me, whether she likes it or not."

"Damn it. I'm not a child!" She protested. "Its bad enough we got all these doctors and guards to worry about. Now you want him to follow me around like a puppy? How will I ever have any privacy?"

"Ah, quit complaining." The chubby thug told her. "The fact that he cares about your safety enough to give you a watch dog just shows how much you matter."

She hadn't thought of that. He cared about her. She had noticed that he constantly tried to be with her whenever possible. Going so far as to bust out of his cell and into hers to protect her. It showed how much he really cared.

Joker was glaring daggers at the thug, who was doing his best to ignore it and eat.

"Anyways, I had an idea." She told Joker quietly. "I bet doctor Angela has records in her office. I'm going to sneak out tonight and try to get a look at them."

He looked slightly concerned. "The office doors have better locks than ours. And your not exactly skilled at picking locks."

_Well there went that idea_...

She sat back, feeling foolish for not having realized her mistake.

"I'll go with you." He said suddenly, brightening her mood instantly. He was full of surprises today. She smiled. "Okay. Its a date." Connor rolled his eyes.

Now to get through the day. Fun things were waiting for nightfall to come.


	14. Chapter 14

 

It was night now. Her 'room' was just as dark as the night before. But she refrained from sleep. The clock read 1:23 am. She had seven minutes until she would make her move. She had stuffed the door lock with the small scrap of cloth she had discovered that morning. Everything was in place. But the waiting was killing her. She was antsy and on edge.

After finding her attacker in the hall this morning, Ann was sure the guards would be vigilant. She was going to have to be extra careful.

With one minute left to spare, she crept to the door and opened it carefully to peek out into the hall. The bounce of a flashlight beam down the hall alerted her to the passing guard. It looked to be headed her way.

She shut her door quietly before laying on the floor to look under the door, waiting for the light to pass. Once it did, she waited a few moments before opening her door again. She peeked out just in time to see the light fade as the guard turned a corner. Now was the time.

Ann crept through the door, making sure to close it behind her. She had left her shoes behind, choosing instead to go barefoot. As a result, her footfalls were deathly silent on the cold tile floor.

She made her way to the end of the hall and quietly opened the doors that led to the cafeteria. That's where they had agreed to meet. Joker had assured her that the cafeteria doors would be unlocked. The security was so sure that the doors on their individual cells were escape proof that they never bothered to lock the rest of the doors, except the ones that led outside. Those were on a time synchronized locking system that pneumatically sealed the doors.

How he knew all this was a mystery. He was a wealth of information, providing you could pry it out of him.

The cafeteria was empty. She must have beaten Joker here. The room was dark, but there was enough light from the windows to make out the layout of the room and anyone in it.

Closing the door quietly, she crept into the room. She made her way across the room to wait for him in the corner nearest the door he would be coming out of.

She wasn't all the way in the corner. She hovered near the closest table. She wanted to be able to duck under it if a guard walked in.

She had only been waiting a minute when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Startled, she whirled, aiming a blind wheel kick at where she was guessing the persons head should be.

Joker caught her leg in mid air just in front of his face, he shoved just enough to propel her backwards and she awkwardly landed on her feet.

"Damn it!" She quietly scolded him. "Stop friggin doing that." She insisted. He tilted his head with a smile. "Sure." He purred. "Just as soon as you learn to watch your surroundings better." He taunted her.

"Never mind. Let's just go." She told him, annoyed. He shrugged.

Together they made their way to the entrance to the office suites. These doors were locked. Joker didn't even bother trying the door. He pulled a long thin piece of wire from out of nowhere. He then pulled out another wire, but this one was flattened and had a hook on the end. He stuck the hooked one in the lock and put pressure on it with his thumb. He used his other hand to stick the thin wire into the lock. It took several minutes before the lock clicked open and he removed the wires. They disappeared as fast as he had produced them. She was beginning to compare him to a circus clown, the way he seemed to be magic.

They opened the door and continued into the hallway beyond. She had never seen him like this. It was almost like he had been holding out on her this entire time. Like he was sheltering her from part of himself. But she put it out of her mind. She needed to be sharp and focused now.

It only took a minute to reach Angela's office. Joker then did the same with that lock as he had the last. He was halfway done when the glow of a light began drawing near to the corner down the hall. A guard was coming.

"Hurry up.'' She whispered. He glanced at her "This isn't exactly a fast process, love." He commented calmly.

The light got brighter. He was almost to the corner. The lock clicked. A moment later she was dragged through the door by Joker, who was in the office with the door shut faster than she could blink.

"Stupid ninja clown magician." Ann muttered under her breath. He looked confused for a moment, "what?" Just then there were footsteps outside the door. They paused for a moment. Ann and Joker both froze. Ann feared the worst, thinking she had doomed them for sure with her slip of the tongue. But a moment later the guard moved on, apparently deciding he was hearing things.

They both let out a long breath and Joker gave her a 'look'. She sneered at him in return.

Without a word they got busy searching the office. Joker went to the desk as Ann opened a filing cabinet. It took her three tries to find the drawer with the right file. The drawers themselves were alphabetized. But they were in all the wrong places. She began looking for the file marked 'Crane'. Meanwhile Joker was rummaging through her personal effects in the desk. She had a feeling he was more interested in information about the doctor than Crane. Perhaps a better idea of how to manipulate her? Suddenly Ann wished she had thought of it first.

She found the file and pulled it out to lay it on the desk. Joker, having realized Ann had what they had come for, peered over her shoulder for a better look.

It was hard to read in the dimly lit office. But the window here was larger than those in the patient's rooms. So it let in a bit more light. Ann squinted and got closer to the papers, flipping through them trying to find any valuable information.

Finally, she had something. A cell number. B2-15.

"What the fuck does that mean?" She asked herself, annoyed. B would be basement. But what was the 2-15?

"Well, see, b basement. And 2 for the second level. 15 must be the cell number." He told her patiently. She looked up at him with a face full of annoyance.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You weren't talking to me, huh." He commented sarcastically. She wanted to slap him.

"Ya know" he continued, acting oblivious. "If they ever found out about your little guest upstairs, I doubt you'd be enjoying yourself here as much as you do." He said, leaning on the desk to stare at her.

"What do you mean?" She asked cautiously.

He tisked. "The human mind is a fascinating thing. Especially one so special as yours. You might want to work on those little slips of conversation." A shiver went down her spine. He was right. If they knew about Akira she'd be getting a lot more attention than a simple session with the good doctor. She resolved to control her impulsive mouth more.

Shaking off the hint at something horrible, she went back to studying the file. On the same page there were detailed instructions for accessing the basement. Ann noticed the handwriting looked nothing like Angela's. This must have been from back when they first caught Crane and the building was new. Someone had given her instructions for reaching him.

There was a rough calendar that listed what the code for a particular door would be on each day. The codes were 10 digit, a different one for each day of the week. Ann cursed under her breath. There was no way she could memorize all seven 10 digit codes. At least not with the time she had at the moment. An idea dawned on her, and she grabbed a pen and a sticky note. She copied the numbers onto the small square paper. Hopefully she would be able to conceal it until she could either use it or memorize the codes.

Joker nodded in approval. Ann continued flipping through the file. Joker gave her a quizical look. "What're you doin?" She glanced back at him. "Looking for more information." He laughed. "We have the cell number and the codes. What else is so important?" He asked. Ann scoffed. "Well, Angela said he only talks to her and no one else. I was hoping to find something to persuade him to talk to us.'' Joker laughed again. "Don't worry about that. He'll talk to me." Ann was skeptical. But he had been right about everything else so far. So she shrugged and closed the file before putting it back where it belonged.

Ann was tempted to pull her own file and see what the doctor had written in her notes so far. But she decided against it. It was late, and she would need to get at least 'some' sleep tonight. She could always come back another night if she was that curious.

Joker seemed uninterested in anything else the office had to offer. So the two of them made to return to their cells. Ann cracked the door open and peeked outside. The hall was dark and empty. They crept into the hall, closing the door behind them. Ann took the lead as they silently stalked the hallway back to the cafeteria.

Like all the other doors, Ann cracked the door to the cafeteria open and peeked through. She came very close to panicking when she spotted a pair of guards walking the aisles in the large room, checking that no one was hiding in the shadows or under the tables. Joker saw them too. She quietly closed the door before giving him a look that said 'now what'. He motioned for her to follow.

They crept to the nearest door and she stood guard nervously while he picked the lock. They could barge into the hall at any moment. Heaven help them if they were seen.

Joker got the door open. And just in time too. They no more entered the room when the pair of guards walked through the doors and into the hallway. Joker shut the door just in time to avoid one of them noticing that something was wrong. Ann could hear their casual chatter as they continued their patrol.

Sighing with relief, she took a moment to glance around the room they had stumbled into. It was dimly lit by several lights that she could tell were there to keep the dark from being blinding at night. It appeared to be a janitorial room. Perhaps someone did janitorial work while the patients slept? It was a bit large for a janitors closet. There were shelves lining the walls, filled with cleaning supplies and toilet paper. Several brooms and a mop and bucket were leaning in one corner.

After waiting an appropriate ammount of time, Ann began to open the door. But a hand on her shoulder caused her to pause. She looked at Joker, confused. But he was ignoring her, looking around the dark room. What could possibly be interesting in a janitors closet?

She remained still when he lifted his hand and made his way to the far corner. He was searching for something. He began feeling the wall, along the corner's seam. Her first thought took her back to movies where she had seen some random explorer do the same thing, looking for a secret passage. Was that what he was looking for?

Ann walked over to join him, thinking of Crane and how he designed the blue prints for the facility. She wouldn't be a bit surprised to think he put a secret tunnel somewhere. Its what she would do.

"There's something behind this wall." Joker whispered. "The air is escaping." He explained, probably thinking he looked like a loon. So that was what caused him to pause.

"Do you think its a way out?" She asked quietly. He shrugged. "Won't know till we find a way into it."

Taking a cue from the movies, Ann began lifting random cleaning bottles and moving objects on the shelves, looking for a secret switch. Joker was still inspecting the wall several minutes later when Ann stumbled upon a can of motor oil. She looked at the can skeptically. What was a can of motor oil doing in a janitors closet. She tried to lift the can, but it was stuck solid to the shelf.

"Umm, J. I think I found something." She commented. He stopped what he was doing to walk over to her and look at her discovery. She then pointed to the can.

"Motor oil?" He asked, probably processing the same line of thought she had just went through. "It's stuck. It won't move." She explained, yanking on the can to show she wasn't crazy. Joker himself tried to move the can, with no luck.

He looked just as confused as she was. Surely this was the secret trigger they'd been looking for. His face suddenly lit up an she could see an idea had dawned on him. The can was an old can, made of metal, and had a lid on it like a paint can. Joker looked around for something he could use to pry the lid open. There was literally nothing that could possibly be used anywhere. With nothing to open the lid with, he attempted to dig his fingernails under the lid to pry it open. But it didn't budge. The shelf it sat on was up about chest level and it was all the way at the back. So it was difficult to gain any leverage. He tried again, only to get the same result.

"Were gonna have to find something to open it with." Ann commented. He nodded. There was literally nothing in the room that was even a possibility. So they resolved to find or make something suitable, and come back another night.

Joker cracked open the door and checked the hall. It was clear and he motioned for her to follow him.

They didn't bother relocking the door. If someone noticed they'd probably assume they had forgotten to lock it. A few moments was all it took to reach to cafeteria doors. The large room was empty once again and absent any guards. Joker walked her to the door to her wing and opened it for her. They tentatively kissed goodnight and he watched from the door as she walked back to her room. It was only after she was at her door that he retreated back towards his own.

Smiling to herself, she went inside her room and shut the door behind her, locking it from inside. She left the torn cloth piece in the lock, but locked the handle from her side. She could still leave if she chose, but no one would be able to enter. After waking up to intruders in her room, she was cautious to not let it happen again.

She laid down in her bed and thought about everything they had learned from the file and the mysterious door they had found. Then, just to be sure, she checked to make sure the sticky note was still safe in her pocket. That note could be their one ticket out of here. She gradually fell asleep, dreaming of freedom.

* * *

 

She was woken several hours later by the drone of the morning speakers, proclaiming it was time to get up. Like a zombie, she crawled out of bed and brushed her teeth and hair before braiding it. She slipped on her stupid plastic shoes and walked out of her room, being sure to grab the piece of cloth from the lock so no one would notice it. She again checked that the small paper was still in her pocket before heading to the cafeteria.

She was relatively early for breakfast. There were only several others in line before her. One of them, predictably, was Joker. She picked out her food and grabbed a chocolate milk from the cooler then walked over to sit by Joker, who was already eating.

He mumbled a good morning to her. She nodded back. She felt like crap. Clearly she hadn't gotten enough sleep. But it had been worth it.

The other three in their group arrived several minutes later. Ann noticed that Connor was sticking pretty close to the other two. That strangely made her feel somewhat better. At least he wasn't alone.

"So how'd it go? Did you find anything?" The tall thug asked quietly. She could tell he was excited. They all leaned in, eager to hear what had happened.

"We know how to get to Crane now. And we think we found a secret passage." Ann whispered. All three looked positively giddy at the information.

"I need you boys to figure out a way to either find or make something that can open a can of paint." Joker told them. And instantly, all three were brought right back down to earth and thrown into confusion.

"A can of paint?" One asked. "What about a spoon or something?" Connor put in. "It'd have to be metal. These plastic things would break." Ann commented. "Get ahold of a butter knife or some utencil that the kitchen workers use." They nodded.

Now that that was taken care of she could focus on Crane. They needed to find the elevator. And Ann had absolutely no idea where to start. She asked Joker, but he had no idea either. He reassured her that he would ask around through out the day. If anyone could find information, it was him.

At the present time there was nothing more that could be done on her part. Joker would be gathering information. And the two goons would be busy trying to materialise something to open the secret can. Connor would be stuck tailing her all day. So she was left with boredom.

Seeing as all the important and essential things were being taken care of, Ann decided to try to work towards a small measure of personal comfort. She wanted shoes, real shoes. Not these stupid flimsy uncomfortable things. And if she could get her personal boots back, she'd be ecstatic. She resolved to bring this up with Angela at her next session.

A thought crossed her mind. Say this Crane guy did know a way out. A secret passage that led out of the facility and came out in the woods somewhere nearby. If they managed to get that far, then what? They'd be in for hell. That's what. Crane himself would surely demand to escape with them. Herself, Joker, Crane, and the other three made six people. Six people would be easier to track through the woods. And all of them would be in cheap crappy flip flops and thin clothes that would offer little protection in the wilderness. No food or water with their captors pursuing them. 

If she could gain access to a phone she could arrange for help. But the phones were on the second floor of the building. Only the best behaved patients were allowed there. The only other way would be to sneak up there at night. But with no idea how to get there that would be short lived.

"Hey. Someone find out where the pay phones are." Ann told the group, who were already chattering about how to steal a metal spoon from the kitchen. The two thugs gave her a funny look then looked to Joker, apparently seeking approval. He nodded. It was very clear where their loyalties lay. She was just the bosses girl to them, with no authority whatsoever. Well, she resolved to make it very clear how much authority she really had.

An idea popped into her head. She'd seen women do it all the time. But would it work on 'him'?

"Hey J." She said sweetly, getting his attention. He looked up with a hmm? "Hey, I forgot to get some jello when I went through the line." She told him, pouting ever so slightly. He suddenly had that look again. The look that meant he was trying to figure her out. All three of the others had stopped conversing and were watching them intently.

"Wacko. Go get the lady some jello." He ordered. Wacko, the tall one, groaned and began to stand. "Awe. But it won't mean anything if 'he' gives it to me." She complained. Then he got it, he smirked. Slowly, deliberately, he stood up and sauntered to the lunch line, cutting smoothly in front of some other patient to grab a container of jello. He walked back to the table and sat back down.

"Very sneaky."he commented, handing her the jello. Connor and the two thugs looked very surprised. She thanked him, smiling at her minuscule accomplishment. She knew he had seen right through her. But he obviously didn't care. Maybe he wanted them to know she held some authority too? Or was it more of a 'were together' thing. Who could tell.

She stood to go dump her tray. With any luck, maybe she'd hear more information through the doctors door if she arrived early again. She didn't miss the look Joker gave Connor, who immediately stood to follow her. Poor Connor hadn't even finished eating yet. Annoyed, she resolved to make sure he had time to eat before she left the table. Mentally rolling her eyes at Joker and his possessiveness, she made her way to the wing of the building that held the offices.

Connor followed her all the way to Angela's office. He sat down on the floor against the wall, resolved to wait there through her entire session. She felt sorry for him. But she pushed that to the back of her mind. Yes, this was her fault. He was here because of her. But there was nothing to be done about it at this point. And she was trying to help him as much as she could. She even got him a job with Joker. He could hold out awhile longer. Hopefully they all could until they managed to gather enough valuable information to make a clean break from this place.

Focusing on the task at hand, Ann listened through the door. Unfortunately, there were no voices that could be heard this time. Disappointed, she knocked on the door. A few moments went by and there was no response. So Ann knocked again. Still nothing.

Something was wrong. Angela should be here by now. She had plenty of time to eat her breakfast and return to her office for their session. Ann tried the door to find it unlocked. She gradually pushed the door open a bit.

At first glance the office looked empty. Ann was about to close the door when she noticed something out of place. One of Angela's paper weights was off her desk and in the floor.

Something was wrong. Ann pushed the door open and stepped inside. Once several paces into the room someone's feet were visible on the other side of the desk.

Shocked, Ann ran around the desk to find Angela, unconscious in a pool of blood.

"Connor!" she yelled, rolling Angela over. Connor was in the room moments later. "Go get help!" She yelled at him. He hesitated a moment, unsure if he should leave her alone. "Go!" he was gone a second later.

Ann quickly identified the source of the blood. There was a stab wound on her abdomen near her stomach. Her clothes were already soaked. Ann pulled off her own shirt and wadded it up over the wound, trying to staunch the flow.

A few moments passed. It seemed like an eternity. Finally two guards came scrambling around the corner. "Prisoner, step away from the doctor and get up against the wall!" One yelled at her. She promptly did as she was told. One guard put her in cuffs while the other was tending to Angela and radioing for medical. Medical arrived much sooner than Ann had expected. She caught a glimpse of Connor standing back in the hallway, trying to stay in sight of her but out of the way. More guards arrived to contain the situation.

Everything was a chaotic scrambled mess as people were shoved out of the way by the medical staff who were wheeling Angela away in a hurried panic. Somewhere in the midst of it Angela's boss showed up. He quickly took charge of the situation and ordered that everyone clear the room. He instructed the guards to take Ann to the nearest holding cell. Almost as an after thought, he instructed them to find her a shirt as well.

As she was being taken away she caught sight of Connor again and nodded in his direction, trying to communicate that she was fine. He nodded back and quickly disappeared in the mass of people now crowding the hall.

Ann didn't really have time to process everything on her way to the holding cell. Everything had happened so fast. Was she going to get the blame for this? Surely not. There were plenty of people who could place her in the cafeteria. And Connor would tell them everything. And why would she stab someone then try to save their life? She calmed herself as she was shoved along down a hall she didn't recognise. Everything would be fine.

She was pushed through a door moments later. She barely had time to turn around before the door slammed shut. Looking around, she identified the room with those that she had seen in movies. The walls were padded and the floor was a soft squishy foam. There was no furniture. It eerily reminded Ann of the padded room Joker had constructed in his last hide out.

She shivered. She was still in handcuffs. And no one had brought her a new shirt yet. She was thankful they allowed bras, otherwise she would have flashed half the friggin guards working in this place. Looking down at herself she realized what a mess she was. Her pants were soaked with blood from kneeling and holding Angela. Dried blood caked her arms and hands and part of her torso. She definitely looked like someone who had just committed a murder. Hopefully they wouldn't hold that against her.

After several minutes passed, it was apparent no one was coming for her anytime soon. She decided she may as well be comfortable. She jumpped lightly, pulling her feet and legs up tight to her body and slipped the hand cuffs under her. She landed awkwardly on the soft floor. Slightly pleased with herself at not falling, she sat up against the far wall and wrapped her arms around her knees, resigning herself to wait.

At least an hour had gone by when she finally heard the jangle of keys in the locked door. The door opened revealing Angela's boss and two guards.

"I thought I told you to get her a shirt!" Was the first thing out of his mouth, repremanding one of the guards with him. He was obviously frazzled and frustrated. "Miss Giovanni, if you'll please?" He motioned for her to follow them.

Hesitant, she did as instructed. The guards didnt grab her or shove her along this time. But she did notice them giving her mean looks for her cuffed hands now being in front of her.

The boss man guided her down the hall while the guards followed behind her. They came to an elevator. He pushed the button and they waited a few moments for the doors to open. Ann was absolutely elated at having found the elevator. She wasn't sure just where she was, but she could pick up how to get back on the way back to her room.

The elevator ride lasted only a minute before it stopped on the second floor. The man continued guiding her down another series of halls before coming to a stop at an office door and urging her inside. The two guards remained in the doorway as she sat in the chair in front of his desk.

"Well, miss Giovanni, I've heard the story from Mr. Maroni. But I'd like to hear it from you as well. We can start with when you woke up this morning." He told her.

A little dazed, she told him the short events of her day. "Well, I woke up and brushed and braided my hair. Then went to breakfast. Connor sat with me and we ate together. I had pancakes and scrambled eggs and hash browns. My session with Angela was right after breakfast. So I decided to get there a little early. And Connor offered to walk me there. I knocked on the door several times and no one answered, but the door was slightly cracked open. I noticed a paper weight was knocked off in the floor, so I opened the door. And that's when I saw her feet. So I yelled at Connor to go get help and then tried to keep her from bleeding to death." She told him bluntly.

He looked like he was about to speak, but she cut him off anyway. "Is Angela okay? She lost a lot of blood."

He looked taken aback, both by her concern and by being cut off. "She's expected to make a full recovery. The puncture wound missed all her organs. She should be back at her office in about a week." He told her. Honestly, Ann was slightly relieved. She was beginning to like Angela.

"Of course, we'll gain much more insight into who her attacker was once she regains consciousness." He elaborated. His meaning was obvious. Basically 'if you did it we're going to find out'. She nodded. '' Good."

With that, she was ushered out of the office and back to the elevator. She made a point to remember which office was his and the way to the elevator. She was ultimately allowed back to her private room to shower and change her clothes.

Finally being clean of all the dried blood was a relief. As was the clean shirt she pulled over her head. God help her, she was actually glad to be wearing the awful thing again.

Lunch wasn't for another two hours. And it seemed like she had nowhere to be, now that her doctor was incapacitated. So she closed and locked her door before falling onto her bed, eager for some much needed sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading. And I'm always open for comments, critism, or thoughts. Thanks again.


	15. Chapter 15

 

Ann was abruptly awoken by the sound of the alarm sirens going off, which caused her to jump half way out of bed. She knew the sirens meant everyone was supposed to return to their rooms immediately. And when she opened her door, the quick and panicked shuffle of other patients past her room was evidence enough. She went back to sit on her bed, waiting for whatever crisis to be over.

The clock told her it was 11:48. Not quite lunch time yet. At least she didn't have to worry about sleeping through a meal.

Like before, several guards rushed past. One checked that she was present before moving on to the next room. Several minutes ticked by before the alarm finally stopped. Was this type of thing a normal occurrence? Or did everything just decide to go to shit once she got here? Annoyed with the apparent lack of control, she left her room to investigate what had happened this time.

She wasn't alone. At the alarms termination, everyone else had begun to emerge as well. The hall was filled with the chatter of the other women in her wing. One particular woman was going on about how she had seen the whole thing. They had found another doctor stabbed to death in his office.

Ann's mind was reeling. It had only been a few hours since someone had stabbed Angela. Surely these two incidents were connected. But, she reminded herself, that the woman could just as easily be making it all up. This was still a nut house. Everyone was here for a reason.

Working her way through the large congregation of women, she made her way to the cafeteria, where people were already starting to line up for their lunch. The kitchen workers were busy behind the scenes in the kitchen, preparing the meal. She got in line behind the dozen or so people already waiting. And after a few minutes, the workers began serving the food.

She picked out her food and walked to her little group's favored sitting area. She was pleased to see she was the first one there. For some reason, beating Joker to a meal made her happy.

It wasn't long before he joined her, however. He sat beside her, as usual. "I heard you found a stuck pig this morning." He commented idly. She nodded. "You just have to keep all the attention for yourself, huh." He mused. "I would have thought everyone would focus on me. But here you are, captivating everyone around you." He didn't sound unhappy. "Its accidental. Believe me." She replied, not at all happy with all the attention she was receiving.

"Well, while you had all the guards distracted this morning, I was busy doing real work." He told her. "See, the lack of security made it possible to explore our new home a bit. And I managed to find the second floor." He told her.

Confusion laced her mind. It must have shown on her expression. "You said you wanted to know where the phones were. Well, I found them for you while you were playing hero."

"Wait, you went out of your way to go find it just because I said I wanted to know where it was?" she asked. Was he trying to be sweet?

He rolled his eyes at her. "I figured you had a reason. And I wanted to know too.'' She looked at him skeptically. "Awe, your trying to be sweet!'' She said in a wishy washy voice, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He sighed in annoyance, rolling his eyes again. She liked teasing him. It was starting to feel like a real relationship for once. Well, it would if they weren't stuck in a crazy house.

"We need to get down to Crane." She commented "The sooner we figure out if he can even help us or not, the better." He nodded.

"Problem is, after two people being stabbed today, security is gonna be tight." He replied. "Yeah, but not in the middle of the night when everyone is locked up. I think it's do-able." He nodded. "Its do-able. But we still lack one crucial piece of information, love." She smiled at him."Not anymore. I got to ride an elevator this morning. And it goes to both basement levels." She told him happily.

His mood perked up at her revelation. "Was there any type of lock on the circuit board?'' He asked after a moment of thought. "Not that I saw. All the guy did was hit a button and it moved." She answered. "So ya see, I was working too." She added sarcastically. He laughed. "So you were Shadow. So you were."

They decided to meet again that night and investigate the basement and hopefully find Crane. Instead of waiting so late in the night they would meet at 1 to give themselves more time, just in case.

Connor and the two thugs showed up not long afterward. They were all full of questions about the incident earlier that morning. Connor's questions were more focused on if she was okay or had been abused in any way. He seemed relieved to hear that she was fine. She couldn't tell if his concern was genuinely for her or if he was more afraid of the consequences in store if she hadn't been.

Ann made sure she waited for Connor to finish eating before she got up to dump her tray. She was tempted to object to his temporary assignment to follow her. But she knew it wouldn't do any good. She once again reminded herself that Joker was only doing it to make sure no one attacked her. But seeing as how she could easily defend herself, it remained more of an annoyance than a flattery.

Finally when Connor took his last bite, Ann got up and dumped her tray before heading to recreation room. She was intent on retrieving her painting that she had forgotten about the day before.

She entered the room and grabbed her now dry painting off the shelf she had placed it on. She then turned to leave, only to run smack into Joker who had apparently been right behind her.

She stuttered in surprise. "When did you get here? What are you doing?" She almost yelled. He didn't look the least bit affected. "Doing some art work in your down time, princess?"

Blushing, she tried to hide the picture behind her and shuffle around him. But he wasn't having it. He thwarted her by stepping between her and the door. The doctor in the corner looked at them curiously. Nervous, Ann tried to get past him a second time, only to get the same result.

Annoyed at his childishness, she faked a lunge around him only to pull back and leap the other way. In the moment it appeared her trick had worked, until he spun in place and neatly picked the painting from her hands. She rolled and landed in a crouch at the doorway.

"Damn it. Give it back!" She ordered, noticing they now had the full attention of the doctor in the corner. She made a desperate grab for the picture only to look more foolish when he easily danced around her attempt.

Several feet away from her now, he studied the painting. "Interesting. You have an affinity for roses?" He asked with mock sincerity. She lunged at him again and received the same result. Now certain this confrontation would be brought up later in a therapy session, she shifted her focus from the painting to him. Too late to avoid attention now, she'd just have to make him give it back.

Her next lunge was aimed at his legs. As she had hoped, he interperated her move as another grab at the painting. He realized her intentions a second too late when she shifted her body lower. Her shoulder slammed into his legs before he could react and he was tackled to the floor.

Hoping to take advantage of his surprise, she made a grab at his ankle trying to get him in a leg bar. But he recovered too quickly. He yanked his foot from her grip and grabbed at her wrist in an attempt to pin her. She jerked her arm away. Joker tried to regain controlled of the encounter, shifting his weight and gaining higher ground. Ann tried to scramble out of his reach, but he caught her by the ankle and dragged her under him. The painting skidded across the room in the scuffle.

It was more about pride now. The painting forgotten, they each attempted to make the other yield. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew the guards would be on them any moment, but her focus was on her opponent.

She was under him now and he was trying to pin her arms. Panicking, she flailed, trying to break free. Her knee came up just in the right place at the right time. It was a complete accident, but it did the trick. Joker made a sound that was akin to what a dying horse might make before rolling off her and onto the tile floor.

Stunned by his sudden disappearance from on top of her, Ann sat up. Realizing what happened, Ann slowly looked down at Joker. He was in obvious pain, fists were clenched at his sides and his knees were bent up. He glared at her from several feet away and began laughing.

"Your a fucking prick." She told him as he began laughing louder the more the pain faded. "I'll make you regret that, princess." He mumbled.

"Well, you two certainly are a hand full." The doctor in the corner commented. Ann had completely forgotten she was even there. "Perhaps you should sign up for marriage counseling instead of psychotherapy."

"Laugh it up, library barbie. You don't have to deal with 'him' on a daily basis." Ann threw back at her. The doctor hadn't even moved from her spot behind the desk. And no alarm had been raised. She must have found it entertaining.

Angry, Ann got to her feet and snatched up her painting. She kicked Joker in the feet for good measure as she stormed past him and back to her room.

Ann stayed in her room until dinner time, both from anger and a slight fear directed towards Joker. She hadn't meant to knee him in the balls. She would never do something like that unless her life depended on it. And even then it was iffy. It was a complete mistake. But that didn't change the fact that it had happened. Joker was probably livid with her. She shuddered. One thing she didn't want to do was piss him off. Especially now when her freedom was partially dependant on him.

Having several hours to think the whole situation through, she decided the best thing to do was apologize. Hopefully he had had some time to cool off and he would be somewhat reasonable at dinner.

Ann laid on her bed and stared at her painting until it was almost dinner time. She finally mustered the courage to leave her room ten minutes before the cafeteria would start serving lunch.

She made it to the food line fairly early, with only several people in front of her. Being early got her into a slightly better mood. There was something about being one of the first people there that gave her a surge of energy.

Today's dinner was chicken fried steak with her choice of either mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, peas, or an ear of corn. She picked the potatoes and corn before getting a drink from the cooler and proceeding to their table.

It was another five or ten minutes before Joker sat down beside her. And she was already half way through her meal.

"Hey. Um, sorry. You know, for earlier. It was an accident." She told him, focusing on her food instead of looking in his direction. It was still hard to miss the surprise written on his face when he looked her way. "You can make it up to me later." He told her, with just a hint of play fullness in his tone.

Figuring he must have known it was a mistake, she took it with a grain of salt and moved on.

"Were still on for tonight right?" He nodded, too preoccupied with his food to answer her properly.

She took a moment to reflect on his attitude. A year ago there would have been a major argument taking place right now. They both would have throw around accusations and it would have ended up with not speaking to each other. Then Ann would have avoided him at all costs and Joker would made an elaborate show of making sure she couldn't.

Was that all it took to avoid that unpleasantness? A simple apology?

Why was he acting so calm about it? Surely there was more to it than him realizing it was an accident and accepting her apology. She knew from experience that everything he did, every move he made, had a reason. So why was he acting so different lately?

Needless to say, it bothered her. But, like everything else involving the Joker, she was bound to find out eventually. Until then, she had no way of knowing,

The other three in their group showed up at some point during her thoughts. They were chatting about something now. She had easily missed them showing up and the entire focus of the conversation while she had spaced out. This bothered her. Joker had been right the night before. She really needed to work on that. Both Joker and Bruce had already proven that a smart person could see through it if given the opportunity. And she was currently surrounded by people who specialized in psychology and the study of the mind. She needed to be more careful.

Before she had the chance to catch up on the conversation there was a disturbance in the middle of the room. The chatter of patients quieted as everyone looked to see what was going on. Ann caught sight of Angela's boss, who had stood up on a chair to be above the rest of the people.

"Everyone, I have an announcement. Due to unforeseeable circumstances, several of our doctors will be unable to see patients. This situation is temporary. So those of you currently without a doctor will be reassigned to other staff members for your group and private therapy sessions. You will each find an updated schedule in your rooms that reflect the new change."

And with that he stepped down and disappeared into the crowd of people. Ann groaned. For a little bit there she actually thought she wouldn't have to waste her time with those stupid sessions.

Ann pushed her food around her plate, brooding. Her mood had suddenly soured and she was no longer hungry. All she really wanted to do was run back to her room and look at the schedule so she figure out what new ass hole she would be stuck with. But instead she patiently waited for Connor to finish his meal so she wouldn't feel guilty about him having to rush to follow her.

A hand on her shoulder jerked her from her brooding. Startled, she looked up to see it was Joker. "Don't get discouraged." He told her. "Only a day or two."

She scoffed. "Who said I was discouraged? I'm not discouraged. I just hate... everything." She told him. He gave her a look like he didn't believe her.

"Look. Tonight I'm sending the boys to make arrangements for transportation. And we'll go down and find out what Scarecrow knows. If we're lucky, we may even get out of here tonight."

That information instantly brightened her mood. Granted, it was unlikely. But it was possible. Crane very well may have a secret passage somewhere. Which they had possibly found in the janitors closet.

If they could get Crane out undetected then meet up with the others and somehow get that secret door open...

They could do it, she decided. Anticipation flooded her. The thought of being free again was exhilarating. All that was left to do now was wait until the dark of night.

After she was done eating, Ann patiently waited for Connor too finish. Once he was done she dumped her tray before heading outside. She wanted some fresh air. And she also wanted plenty of room to walk around.

Her real goal was to get out of Joker's immediate presence for a few minutes so she could talk to Connor without being overheard.

She walked around the building, pretending to take in the fresh air and wander about, glancing back several times to make sure her body guard was still following her. Once out of sight from the main door to the yard she turned and let him catch up. He had been following at a respectful distance. Close enough to protect her if danger arose but far enough away to give her some privacy. Her opinion of him grew a few notches at his professionalism.

"Listen. I don't know how much you know about what's going on. But I wanted to make sure you were informed so you didn't get left behind in this hell hole." She told him.

He looked confused at her declaration. "What do you mean?" He asked. She sighed. It was just like Joker to leave him out of the loop, hoping he would get left behind.

"We're meeting up tonight at 1 in the cafeteria. There's a small chance we might get out of here tonight. I need you to show up at 1 tonight and stay with Joker's thugs. Or you might be stuck here."

He looked a bit angry. "He hasn't said a word to me. None of them have."

She smirked. "He doesn't like you because your my friend. And your a guy. His ego can't tolerate the idea of competition. Even when there's none there." She told him.

He seemed to understand this. And she was surprised at her own insight. True, Joker wasn't exactly predictable. But he was still a man.

"Hey, thanks for looking out for me. And, I'm curious, how'd you know he'd leave me behind?" Connor asked.

She shrugged. "It was just a feeling I had." He laughed a bit. "Well, you know him better than anyone. Glad your on my side." She smiled before turning and resuming the appearance of her walk.

She knew him? Since when? Did she really know him? True she very well may know him better than anyone. But that didn't mean much considering how unpredictable he was.

She wandered over to one of the random trees that dotted the yard. Glancing up at the above branches she had a random thought. The sudden desire to climb a tree like she had as a child overcame her. Without warning she lept up to grab one of the lower branches and hauled herself up to sit. She leaned back against the trunk of the tree and got comfortable. Connor looked like he couldn't believe she'd rather be up a tree than on the ground like him. But he kept silent, shaking his head slightly before walking over to sit in the shade of the tree a few meters away.

Ann was quite comfortable. She likely could have taken a nap up there. But being surrounded by the criminally insane demanded that she keep herself on edge. Also, Joker was likely to come looking for her soon. She could just picture him scaring her in her sleep causing her to fall from the tree. She smirked at the idea. Maybe she knew him better than she thought.

It wasn't long before her prediction came true. Mere minutes had passed before she spotted him coming around the corner of the building. He strode over to her like he'd known she was there the whole time.

"Are you a cat now?" He asked once he had reached her. She rolled her eyes at him. "If I were a cat I wouldn't be so concerned about you getting me killed all the time."

He seemed amused at her nine lives reference. "Maybe I'll start calling you cat lady. Your kinda sneaky like a cat. And there's that superior attitude." He mused aloud.

She wrinkled her nose at his suggestion. "No thanks. 'Cat lady, the crazy clown's shadow' sounds kind of silly.

He glared at her for calling him crazy, but didn't comment.

Her perspective of him from the tree was amusing to her. His head was just about level with the branch she sat on, causing her to have to look down at him.

" You have no idea how tempting it is to push you down from there." He told her suddenly.

She glared at him. "Don't you dare." He held up his hands. "I wasn't. Just thought I'd warn you in case temptation won out on me."

That was a weird thing for him to say. She looked at him skeptically.

"Why?" She asked slowly. He rolled his eyes. "Because I'm 'trying' to be nice." He said in an annoyed tone. "So get down before I really do push you."

She smirked at him before sliding off the branch and landing lightly in front of him.

"Why are you being nice?" She asked, hoping to get to the bottom of his strange behavior. "Would you prefer if I was mean?" He asked, a hint of suggestion in his voice.

Ann scowled at him. "You know what I'm talking about. Your acting strange. To me." He just looked at her skeptically.

"Ugh!" She sighed. "Look who I'm talking to." She began to storm off, irritated. But he took her by the arm.

"Have you ever considered, perhaps what you think normal is actually whats strange?" He asked seriously.

She glared at him and jerked her arm away. "And now your going to spout philosophical nonsense. Nothing about you is normal!"

He shrugged. "At least I'm not boring."

Ann rolled her eyes. Supposing he had a point, she allowed him to walk back to the building with her. Connor followed behind, still maintaining that same respectful but wary distance.

Once inside Ann scanned the cafeteria room curiously. It was free time. So patients were randomly scattered about, finding ways to amuse themselves or congregating in crowds chatting.

An object suddenly flew at her face. She only barely had time to react by turning her face away, expecting it to hit her in the side of her head. But the impact never came. Opening her eyes she realized Joker had caught the object before it hit her.

Any other woman would have swooned at him. He was still beside her. He had simply raised his hand in front of her face. She shifted her admiration into anger.

The moron responsible for hurling the glass was a distance away in the middle of the room. It was the man she had nicknamed 'mouth'. He and his group of schoolyard bullies stood in a semicircle. It looked like he had recruited more people for his group. There were six of them. All looking either surprised or impressed that Joker had caught the glass intended for Ann's face.

Mouth looked pissed that his surprise attack had failed. He had a bandage over his nose that made his angry expression look comical.

"Keep out of this clown. It's none of your business." One of the wanna be gangsters shouted.

Ann sighed. "Looks like they need another lesson in manners. Just wait over there. I'll take care of it." She told him.

"Six on one is a bit cowardly, don't you think? Especially when going up against a girl. How bout we have a go instead." Joker told them, ignoring Ann's request for space. She glanced up at him. He had that tell tale smirk on his face. The one that could shoot fear through anyone it was directed at. It was less imposing without the make up. But she knew what it meant.

When Ann had fought them before she had only fought in self defense. She hadn't wanted to hurt any of them until she was given no choice. But Joker had a different idea in mind. He was going to enjoy this.

"No, I can handle it." She hissed at him. But she went ignored.

"You think your so tough. Not so tough in here where your goons can't save you."

"Have you ever fought six people at once in such a small space?" He asked her suddenly. She had to think back on it. After a moment she realized he was right. She hadn't. Reluctantly she shook her head. "Then stand back and watch how its done." He told her.

Annoyed, she finally yielded and stepped back, allowing him to step in front of her.

"Come at me then. Let's see what your made of." Joker taunted. Mouth shoved two thugs forward, who looked surprised to be going by themselves. They warily approached Joker, who was waiting patiently.

He waisted no time. The very moment one of them was within reach Joker grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him forward. The man stumbled and Joker brought his knee up hard into the man's face.

The other five descended on him. The second thug got to him first. Joker quickly countered a punch and elbowed him in the nose. One of the others aimed a roundhouse kick at Joker's side. Joker caught his leg flipped him onto his back, causing three others to scatter and creating room.

Joker was so fast his movements were almost a blur to Ann, who was studying every detail of his actions.

Another thug circled around behind him. Ann was about to shout a warning when Joker spun at just the right moment to catch the man's wrist as he punched. Joker turned away from him, bring the man's arm over his shoulder. He pulled the thugs arm straight down, and a sickening snap shot through the air as the bone broke. Joker followed through with the movement and threw the thug over his shoulder.

Mouth and another thug came at him at the same time. Joker took a step back, causing them to bump into each other. Joker kicked the thug in the face and he fell backwards. Joker barely had time to avoid a punch from Mouth. He moved just in time to catch his wrist. Twisting his arm, Joker forced mouth to turn away from him. Another snap, and another broken arm.

The one thug left that was unharmed took a look at his friends laying and crying on the floor and backed away.

Joker glanced back at her now that it was all over. "There's a point when you have to stop hesitating. It's you or them. Next time someone attacks you, I expect you to fight back." He told her.

In all the excitement Ann hadn't realized that the alarm was blaring. A few moments later and Joker was surrounded by guards. He raised his hands and allowed them to cuff him and lead him away.

As he was being taken away Ann noticed the doctor who was always reading standing in the door to the rec room, watching the scene. Had she been there the whole time?

'Library barbie' followed the procession of guards as they escorted Joker out of the room. Something was up with that doctor. Ann decided she didn't like not knowing. So she made her way to the rec room.

Ann had to step over several of the goons Joker had just beat up. A team of nurses had only just gotten there to tend to the injured.

Connor followed her. "Now what are you doing?" He asked as they entered the rec room. Ann ignored him and scanned the room. There was one young woman in the room. She had dirty blonde hair and big brown eyes. She was working on a sculpture when Ann entered. Looking up from her artwork her big doe eyes widened in fear. "Scram." Ann told her. The girl nodded and quickly gathered her things and disappeared.

"What the hell are you doing?" Connor asked again. "Just shut up and go guard the door." She told him. He sighed and did what she said.

Ann walked over to the desk in the room. All the drawers had locks on them. Cursing, Ann yanked at several of the drawers with no luck. She spotted a tray of paperclips on the desk. Figuring she may as well try her luck, she grabbed one and straightened it into a long piece of wire.

She stuck the end into one of the locks and fiddled with it for a few minutes. Truthfully, she had no idea what she was doing. It'd be a miracle if she actually got it open. But she started to get a sense of the mechanics in the lock the more she poked and prodded it. The locks were old. They resembled the kind used with old skeleton keys. There must be a lever somewhere that, if pushed in the right direction, would unlock the drawer.

Pushing sideways into the lock she finally found something that began to budge. But the skinny wire kept bending and sliding off. Annoyed, Ann bent the paperclip in half, hoping to give it more stability, and tried again. After a moment, the mechanism inside moved for her and she heard a click.

Surprised, and pleased with herself, she opened the drawer.

The drawer was a complete mess. Several romance novels laid scattered on top of the rest of the contents. Pens, letter openers, and more paperclips were randomly mixed among dozens of post it notes with memos written on them. Most of them made no sense what so ever. One said 'bathroom hall?' Another said 'mysterious lever' and another had 'access code' with question marks scribbled all over it.

What a wacko. Ann dismissed the drawer and moved on to the next one. Using the same method as the last lock, the bottom drawer came open quite easily.

This drawer looked more organized. There was a stack of folders along with several picture albums inside. Curious, Ann picked up the first folder and flipped it open.

She was absolutely shocked at what she found. Inside the folder were countless newspaper clippings of, who else, the Joker. Every headline he had ever made, from killing the police commissioner to blowing up the boats last year. Even all the pandemonium he had caused when they were broken up and she was dating Bruce.

Opening one of the picture albums, Ann began to feel sick. Picture after picture of Joker filled the album. Most of them were dark, but you could still make him out just barely. Ann stopped on one to get a better look. She could clearly see Joker but he had something in his hand. A remote detonator, she realized. And there beside him in the picture was her. This psycho doctor had actual photographic evidence of her criminal involvement with Joker.

Obviously he had had no idea they were being photographed. Ann was livid. How could someone have taken this picture without either of them seeing it?

Ann took the picture out and stuffed it into her shirt, intent on destroying it later. She scanned through the rest of them to make sure there were no more in there of her.

Obviously this chick had a major interest in Joker. Ann would go so far as to say she had a pretty serious crush on him too.

Ann's jealousy spiked suddenly. The thought of her even being in the same room as him made her sick.

"Ah, Ann?" Connor called from across the room. Ann rolled her eyes "Just keep watch, damn it." She told him.

"Ann!" He practically yelled. Annoyed, she looked up to see what he wanted. And her day got even worse.

Connor was up against the wall with a knife to his throat. And the one holding the knife was none other than the crazy doctor that had been stalking Joker.

"For fucks sake, Connor. Your a cop! How could you let this happen?" Ann asked angrily. "She's fast." Was his excuse.

"Okay crazy lady. What do you want?" Ann asked. She had to want something. Otherwise she'd have simply tripped the alarm.

"We need to talk. But your pet dog needs to wait outside." She replied. A moment later Connor was free and she had stepped back away from him. She still kept the life at the ready, however.

Connor looked to Ann for guidance. Ann gave it a moment of thought.

"Wait outside." She told him. He balked at her, sure she was joking. "But Joker said-"

"Joker's not here. Wait outside."

He threw his hands up in defeat and stormed out.

"Okay barbie. You got some explaining to do." Ann said after he was gone. The doctor closed the folding knife and put it in her pocket.

"You've saved me time. I was about to come looking for you." She explained.

"What the fuck is all this shit? Are you seriously stalking my-"

"Your what? Your boyfriend? Fiance?" She cooed sarcastically. "Awe, your going to marry him someday huh."

"Listen you psychotic two sided creep. You don't want on my bad side." Ann told her. She was a fraction away from loosing her cool and straight up beating this chick to death.

"Look. We don't like each other. We both get that. But that's not important now. You have to break out tonight."

Ann had a wtf moment. How the crap did she know they were breaking out.

"I'm serious. You can't wait any longer. You have to leave tonight and take him with you. Get him out of here." She repeated. Something was wrong. "Why the urgency?" Ann asked skeptically.

"They've been just looking for a reason to put him in solitary. You don't understand. They experiment on people that are violent. They're going to dig around in his brain if you don't leave tonight."

Ann's shock turned to fear and she slowly sat down in the chair that was conveniently behind her.

"I get you have a crush. But why are you helping me?" Ann asked. She wanted to be sure she could trust this quack.

"Your the only one who can get him out. Your in charge now that he's locked up, right? You guys must have a plan by now." The doctor replied.

Ann nodded. "I'll need access to his cell." Ann said, trying to think a way through this mess. The doctor nodded and walked over to her. She pulled a plastic card out of her pocket. "I swiped this from a guard earlier. It'll give you access to the whole complex. But be careful with it. The first time you use it the alarm will sound. The guard I took it from will have registered it as lost by now." Ann nodded and slipped it into her pocket.

"Do you know how to kill the power to the fence?" Ann asked, hoping to skip needing Cranes help altogether.

The doctor shook her head. "I have no idea. The janitor and maintenance crews would be the only ones to know that."

Ann thought for a moment more. Transportation. They'd need transportation. "What about a phone?" Ann asked.

The doctor looked hesitant. She reluctantly went to the desk and unlocked a drawer, pulling out her purse. She dug around for a moment before pulling out a slick smartphone with a bright pink weatherproof case.

She reluctantly handed the phone to Ann.

Realizing that had been hard for her Ann smiled. "Thanks, I'll be careful with it. And I'll give it back. If or when I can." The doctor shook her head. "Don't bother. I'll just report it as lost. My carrier will give me a new one." Ann nodded and put the phone in her pocket with the card.

Ann stood, her head was a bit clearer and she had a decent idea what the new plan was. "Anything else I need to know?" She asked the doctor, who shook her head.

Ann walked past her to the door. "And hey, do me a favor. Stop stalking and photographing my soulmate. Thanks." She walked out.

Ann collected Connor and took him to a corner of the room where they wouldn't be heard. "Change of plans. Get Joker's goons together and meet me here in ten minutes. We're busting out tonight if we have to go through the entire guard squad to do it." She shoved him in the direction of the male dorms. He hesitated only a moment before obeying.

Ann made her way to the privacy of her room and locked the door before going into the bathroom and locking that door as well.

Taking out the phone, she dialed Ashley's number. On the third ring she answered.

"Ash, I don't have time to explain. I need you to have Devon arrange a ride for us tonight." Ann told her.

"Ann? Is that you? Oh my god are you okay?" Ann sighed.

"I don't have time. We'll have our happy reunion talk later. Get Devon. Have him bring guns and ammo and meet us two miles from Arkham on the main road to and from the place. Have him there at midnight just to be safe. A fast car would be preferable. We might have people on our trail. Give him your phone so we can call if we need to. If we haven't made contact by sunrise then we got caught and he needs to leave." Ann told her, hoping she could get it all right.

"Okay. Hey, be safe." Ashley replied.

"Gotcha."


	16. Chapter 16

 

It was night time now. All the good little crazy people were locked away safely in their rooms.

Ann had been worried that Joker's goons wouldn't listen to her. But, once she explained that Joker was in solitary and that she was in charge, they had grudgingly agreed to follow her. That and letting them know they'd be left behind if they didn't help moved the process along.

Ann was waiting for midnight. That was when their plan would start. She had made her phone call and request for a ride earlier in the day, eliminating the need for the two goons to go do it tonight. She was glad they'd be with her. She very well may need some extra muscle if this thing went the wrong way.

As soon as the clock hit midnight she opened her door and peeked out. The hallway was dark and silent. Slowly, Ann crept from her room and shut her door behind her.

She had her shoes stuffed into the waistband of her pants. She didn't want to wear them. It was far easier to be quiet when she was barefoot. But she was reluctant to leave them behind, seeing as they very well may be hiking through thick woods before the night was over.

She silently opened the cafeteria door to peek through. All was dark and quiet. So far so good.

She slipped through the door and crouched in a corner near where the boys would be coming from.

Ann didn't have to wait long. It was only a minute before the door creaked open. A moment later Connor and Joker's two thugs came into the dark room. She nodded at them and they went to the door that led to the doctors offices. This hall was dark and silent as well.

They had gotten lucky so far. If they should run into a guard, there would be no quick escapes into random rooms this time. Not without Joker and his skill with locks.

Ann quickly made her way to the elevator. She pushed the button and the doors slid open smoothly. And quietly.

Thankful there hadn't been a loud 'ding', they all crowded into the elevator and Ann pressed the B2 button.

The elevator descended and a few moments later they arrived in the basement. The doors slid open and she stuck her head out to peer around. There was the faint bob of a flashlight farther down the hall. The guard carrying it was moving away from them, completely oblivious to them.

Deciding it'd be best not to have him wandering around, Ann motioned for the others to wait there. Then she silently crept up behind the guard.

She waited until she was directly behind him before she leapt into his back and wrapped her arm around his neck. The guard jumpped in surprise and dropped his flashlight. His hands went to her arm, trying to pry them off his windpipe. But she held tight, wrapping her legs around him to keep him from shaking her off. He flailed in panic and rammed her up against the wall. But his fighting soon began to weaken. A few moments later he collapsed. Ann waited a few moments more to make sure he wasn't faking before she shoved him off her.

The others came up to her quickly, praising her for the takedown.

"Bring him." She told Connor. "Don't want someone to find him just yet."

Connor sighed before picking the guard up and hefting his dead weight over one shoulder. Once he was situated, they moved on. Once they came to cell doors Ann began scanning the numbers looking for Crane's cell.

The plan was to get Joker at the last possible minute because of the access card. It was very likely that using it would trigger an alarm. The whole plan rested in Crane's ability to give them an escape route. Without that, they were screwed.

None of the doors matched the one written in the file. They came to a heavy iron door at the end of the hallway. This door had an access pad next to it.

Ann took the little post it note from her pocket. This must have been the first door the file had given a code for. It would likely lead to another hall with more prisoners.

Ann pushed in the first ten digit code. A moment later a green light came on. Ann pulled on the door and it came open.

Ann glanced back at the others. Their expressions looked about how she was feeling. This was getting kind of creepy. Almost like horror movie creepy. She took a deep breath and moved through the door.

This hall was drastically different. The walls were dark gray, a stark contrast from the bright white of the halls she was used to. There was a sight stench in the air that told her the patients down here hadn't been cared for properly.

Scrunching her nose in disgust, she moved on. She continued reading each cell number. She could tell they were getting closer. Finally after what felt like forever she found the right cell. Looking back at the paper, she pushed the next ten digit code into the access panel. Another green light came on and the lock clicked open.

Slowly Ann pushed open the door. The room was pitch black. No windows illuminated the rooms down here. One of the thugs shone the flashlight into the room. A lone figure sat in the corner of the otherwise bare cell. His back was to them, so it was hard to tell what he looked like. He slowly rocked back and forth ignoring them.

"Doctor Crane?" Ann asked. The figure stiffened at her voice but continued to ignore her.

"We need your help. We're trying to break out. You can come too, if you help us find a way out." She spoke gently.

The figure turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder. "Enough of your tricks! Leave me be." He then resumed his rocking.

They were running out of time. "It's no trick. We're busting out. We're here with the Joker. He said he knew you. He's being held down here too now. We need your help to get out." She coaxed. Obviously the doctors had done serious damage to his trust.

His head perked up at the mention of Joker.

"Joker is here? Impossible. They'll never catch him. Your lying."

Ann sighed. "I don't have time to try to convince you. If it's a trick you'll just still be stuck here. But what if Im telling the truth? You may have a chance at escape." She tried reasoning.

He was still for a long moment. Finally the man stood. "Fine. But if your lying, you'll be the first person I kill."

 **Creepy**!

"Fine. Let's go." She replied.

Crane turned around, giving Ann her first real look at him. He had greasy short black hair. He was quite tall, in a skinny stick man sort of way. His eyes were a bit sunk in from what Ann had to assume was the lack of light. She shivered involuntarily.

Crane walked to the doorway and inspected her. He then looked over her shoulder at her entorage. Noticing the unconscious guard his eyebrows rose in surprise.

Once he was out of the cell Connor tossed the guard inside and collected his gun. Ann silently cursed herself for not thinking about the gun before. They then shut and locked the door.

The group continued down the hallway, looking for Joker's cell. Only now did Ann realize, she had absolutely no idea where he was being kept. She hadn't thought to ask the crazy doctor which one he'd be in. Cursing, she turned around to talk to the group.

"Any idea which cell he might be in?" She asked them. They all looked at her like she was insane.

"You mean you don't know?" Asked Connor. "Great. What are we going to do now?"

"We could leave without him." Crane suggested slyly. They all turned to look at him. Then they looked back at Ann questioningly.

"Absolutely not. I don't care if we have to look in every single cell. We're leaving with him or not at all."

Crane sighed. "Then you should look in the cells closest to the elevator. That's where they keep all new people."

He had been testing her loyalty, she realized. He'd known where joker was being kept all along. She shot him a glare, but followed his advice and they all backtracked to the large metal door that had led them there.

Ann pushed in the access code and opened the door. Once they were all through she made sure it was securely locked behind them.

Now that they were back in the bright white halls she breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Okay Crane. Which one should we try?" She asked quietly.

"First of all. You can call me Scarecrow."

So Joker did know him. It must be a code name or something.

"Okay Scarecrow. Which room do we try?" She asked again. He nodded in approval.

"If a room is empty, they leave them unlocked. So try all the doors. The one that's locked should be his."

Following his suggestion, Ann and the two thugs started opening doors, while Connor went to the corner to be the lookout. After a few minutes Ann came to one that was locked.

Her heart leapt with excitement. Calling the others over to her she motioned at the locked door and jiggled the handle. "Okay. After i use the access card the alarm is going to go off. So everyone needs to be ready to get out of here fast." She told them.

"Wait." Said Crane. "If the alarm goes off the elevator doors will lock up. Someone needs to be in it to push the open button." He told them. Ann nodded and sent one of the thugs to wait in the elevator.

"Okay. Here it goes." She said, more to herself. She swiped the card and the little green light came on. Ann hesitantly opened the door. Connor shone the flashlight into the room. But it was empty. Ann's heart sank.

She stepped inside just to be sure. The moment she was past the doorway someone grabbed her arm. Startled she nearly screamed before twisting away. But they were too strong and yanked her back against a hard strong chest.

"Easy love. You'll wake the neighbors." Someone whispered in her ear. Shocked, she whirled around to face him.

"Jesus! You bloody scared the hell out of me." He laughed at her before peeking out into the hall.

"Nice to see you Joker." Crane commented. Joker nodded.

Connor glanced around. "Isn't there supposed to be an alarm going off?" He asked.

"Oh the alarms down here are silent." Crane commented.

"Ugh! Why didn't you say so?!" She asked. Suddenly in a rush now, they all ran to the elevator and crowded in. Ann pushed the ground level button, but the elevator didn't move. "Shit. They've shut it down." She exclaimed.

Crane pushed past her. "You have to use the emergency override." He told her before pushing on a panel and opening it. He tinkered inside it a moment. Then the elevator started moving. What would they do without this guy?

They could hear the alarm once they reached the ground level. It added to the anxiety of their pending escape.

"Okay Scarecrow. I hope you know what your doing." Ann said, indicating he should lead the way. He nodded.

The hallway was illuminated now. The alarms had caused the lights to come on. By now the whole place would be in high alert.

As Ann had expected, Crane was leading them to the janitors closet. But just as they were approaching the door, four guards came through the doors to the cafeteria.

The guards froze, shocked to see them out of their cells. Ann didn't waist time. Their hesitation was an opportunity.

Rushing them head on, she caught them by surprise. Just when she almost reached them she used her momentum to slide on the floor towards them. She kicked her feet out and knocked one of the guards feet out from under him. He nearly fell on top of her. A second later the other guards reacted to her crazy attack.

She was already on the floor. So she swept her foot out and knocked a second guard down. By then Joker had caught up to her. All the guards attention was on her. So Joker easily clobbered one over the head with the flashlight that he must have taken from Connor. The guard went down, unconscious.

One of the guards she had knocked down jumpped on her. She wrestled with him a moment before she noticed an opportunity. She brought her knee up just as she had accidentally done to Joker. And just like Joker, the guard made a horrible sound of pain before rolling off her.

Meanwhile, Joker had already dispatched one guard and was squaring off with the last one. The guards back was to her. So she took him by surprise. She lept up and slammed her elbow into the back of his head as hard as she could. He went down, but he was still awake. A second later Joker kicked him hard in the face and he was out.

Joker walked over and clobbered the last guard, the one Ann had kneed, with the flashlight. They both stood and looked back at the group. None of them had even bothered to help, probably knowing they'd be in the way.

Crane stepped over one of the guards and opened the janitors closet that Joker and Ann had stumbled on.

Following him, the other five people crowded into the room and shut the door. They were all incredibly uncomfortable in the small room.

That was when Ann remembered the unmovable can at the back of the shelf. She silently cursed herself. She had forgot to make sure one of the thugs had brought the spoon they had stolen to open the can with.

Yes she had forgotten. But Connor hadn't. "The spoon!" He exclaimed quietly before pulling it from his pocket. He handed it to Joker who handed it to Crane. Crane looked at the spoon like it was a snake. He dropped it to the floor in slight disgust.

"What are you doing? We need that to open the can." Connor was visibly upset. Crane sighed. He reached behind the shelf and produced a paint can opener that had been hidden there.

"Son. Of a bitch." Ann murmered. Crane smiled at her. "Come now. You didn't think I'd be unprepared, did you?" He asked sarcastically. He reached up and opened the oil can. As the lid came off it revealed a big red button inside.

"Your kidding. A big red button? Talk about the most cliche thing ever." Ann commented. Crane smoothly ignored her comment. "Would you do the honors, my dear?" He asked her.

Glancing at Joker, she hesitantly reached up and pushed the button. She half expected the whole place to explode. But it didn't. Instead, the hidden door Joker had been searching for swung open to reveal a second door. There was a key pad in the center. Crane punched in a code and it opened as well. It was very dark beyond the door. But Ann could just barely make out stairs that descended down.

Everyone filled down the stairs. Crane stayed behind and made sure the door was sealed up behind them before making his way to the front of the group. Taking the flashlight from Joker, he led them down the stairs. Ann let Joker go next then she walked behind him. Connor and the others followed her.

It was dark and dank in the small crowded stairwell. Body odor soon became rather noticeable in the small space.

It felt like they had been walking down the stairs for forever. And in the pitch dark it was very disorienting. The ceiling was just above their heads. The only thing that kept her from falling down the stairs into the deep darkness was her hand on Joker's shoulder. He seemed to be managing the darkness just fine. But herself and the others were having problems. Connor had taken to holding the wall for stability. She had no idea what the other two were doing. She didn't rightly care either.

After what felt like forever the stairs finally leveled out into a small hallway. She was still feeling cramped and caged in. But at least the ground was level.

By now the complex above their heads was probably in full blown panic mode. Surely by now they had established who was missing and were conducting a massive search for them. A smart move would be to hide out in this tunnel for a day or two until the heat died down before they went out into the woods on foot. But that would leave them all cranky and tired and hungry. So they likely wouldn't be doing that.

Ann had put her flip flops back on long ago. She was grateful she had had the foresight to bring them now. The walls and floor were no longer smooth and man made. They had turned to cold clamy earth not long after they left the stairs behind.

No one ever mentioned taking a break. But it was probably on all their minds.

Out of nowhere the walls disappeared and they were suddenly standing in the middle of a forest. Ann was shocked that they were suddenly free from the walls. She hadn't even noticed they were leaving the tunnel. Looking back behind her she could just barely make out the entrance. It was covered in moss and vines that almost completely camouflaged it from view.

It was still night. Ann was grateful of that. It meant Devon should still be waiting for them somewhere.

"How far are we from the compound?" Ann asked Crane. He shrugged. "About a mile to a mile and a half." Ann smiled. "That's great! We only have to go half a mile to get to our ride." She was ecstatic. Forget tromping two miles through the woods.

"Which way is the road?" She asked. "It's about a mile that way." Crane pointed to their right. Ann's expression fell. "Crap."

Joker nudged her. "We're still pretty far out from where we were. They won't start searching the woods till morning." He reassured her. "And by the way, good job. I was expecting to be stuck down there for at least another few days."

The compliment surprised her. She smiled at him. "Thanks."

She noticed Crane was watching them, so she burried her swoony feelings. She pulled the cell phone from her pocket. It was already 2 am.

"Guess we better get going." She said to no one in particular. They set off towards the road.

Ann was much happier now that they were out of the tunnel. It had been raining. Everything was drenched and wet. But it made the air feel fresh and clean.

After awhile the damp cold ground began affecting her feet. They were freezing cold and very numb. Normally this wouldn't be a problem. Not with her combat boots and dry warm socks. But socks or even shoes weren't a luxury they had. All they had were the cheap and crappy flip flops. But she didn't complain. Everyone else was in the exact same position she was.

They had been walking for almost two hours, and she still didn't feel like they were any closer to the road. They should have been there by now. But the underbrush in the woods was very thick. They had often had to backtrack and go around a huge wall of thorny bushes or a dense area of trees where they had grown too close together.

Ann was beginning to feel discouraged. If this took too much longer it would be dawn and then their chances of escape would diminish greatly. Suddenly there was a buzzing sound coming from nearby. It stopped quickly. But everyone in their group froze, looking around for the source of the sound.

It took her a moment, but then she remembered. "Oh! The phone!." She pulled it from her pocket and looked at it. It had been an incoming text message.

Touching the little icon brought up a message.

"Everything okay?"

"It must be Devon. It was sent from Ash's phone number." Ann said aloud.

"Where did you get a cell phone anyway?" One of the thugs asked. "Uh." She glanced at Joker. "It's a long story." She wasn't entirely sure she wanted Joker to know about the crazy doctor who was crushing on him yet.

Crane noticed the phone as well. "Can I see that?" He asked. Ann grudgingly handed him the phone. So long as he didn't break it.

He messed with it a few minutes. "There." He said and handed it back. "Now you can see exactly where we are." Ann looked at the phone. It showed what looked to be an overhead view of the forest they were in. There was a little red marker in the middle of the screen. That must have been their location. She scrolled around for a moment before finding the road. They were really close to it.

"Is there any way to locate Devon's phone so we can see it on the map too?" Ann asked. This was extremely useful. She resolved to be less technologically illiterate.

Crane frowned and took back the phone. "I think so. I'd have to send a request to his number. If he accepts it we should be able to see him on the map too." Crane explained. She could honestly care less how it was done. So long as it worked.

A few minutes went by and the phone dinged. He looked back at it."And there it is." He announced and handed it back to Ann again.

There was a blue marker on the road now not far from them. Her energy was renewed at seeing how close they were. So they continued their trek through the woods.

It was maybe ten or fifteen minutes before they finally came upon the road. They lingered at the treeline for a few minutes, wary of going out in the open where they could be seen.

The thick cover of trees had kept any light from filtering down from above. But out in the open they could see the moon shining brightly, illuminating the area.

Ann glanced at her phone. "Devon should be that way. Looks like about a block or two." She said, pointing off to the left. Several people in the group leaned forward to peer through the dark, looking for a car.

"There!" Connor said, pointing. Ann looked in that direction and could just barely make out the moons reflection off a shiny and slick looking car.

The group waited a few minutes more, glancing in each direction to make sure no other cars were approaching. Finally feeling it was as safe as it could be, the whole group sprinted across the road and towards the car.

As they got closer Ann recognised the car. It was her Camaro. It would figure Devon would bring her car. Not that she wasn't glad to see it. But it didn't exactly have very much room for passengers. There were six escpees. Plus Devon made for seven people who would be riding in the car. Her little sports car that was only supposed to seat four.

Once they reached the car Ann tapped on the window. Devon opened the door and stepped out. "Glad to see you made it out." He told her. Then he looked at the rest of their group. "Umm, all of you." He hadn't realized there would be so many people.

They needed to get in the car and out of sight as soon as possible. So without waisting any more time, they all began crowding in to the car. Obviously, some people had to sit on top of others.

Ann ended up sitting on Joker while he drove the car. It reminded her of the time they traveled to her home town. She was snug and cozy.

The rest of them weren't so lucky. Crane and Devon shared the front passenger seat. It wasn't comfortable, but there was barely enough room for them to sit side by side instead of on top of each other.

That left the back seat to the two thugs and Connor. The chubby thug took up one whole seat by himself, leaving the tall thug and Connor to share the other.

They all got along with no complaining. Mostly because Joker had threatened to throw the first one who whined about it in the trunk.

"So now that we're free, what do we do now?" Ann asked. Joker was about to answer, but Crane spoke up first. "We find a hole to hide in while we regroup our resources." He told her.

"What resources?" She asked. Joker managed to speak first this time. "Mostly money, ammunitions, and flunkies to do what we say." He explained.

"Hey!" One of the thugs shouted in protest. He was ignored.

"So I guess the first thing we need to do is find somewhere to stay." She mused aloud. "Exactly." Responded Crane. "Our hole that we'll hide in until we can recuperate. It'll most likely be some run down abandoned shit house." Crane said. His voice indicated his distain for the idea and he gave a pointed look at Joker.

Joker barely gave him a glance. Something was telling her Joker and Crane didn't always get along. Perhaps they worked together out of necessity rather than friendship?

"Anyway... I'm hoping someone has at least an idea of a place to stay?" She asked carefully. "I mean, we can't very well stay in my car."

"I know a place. It's far enough out of town there won't be any trouble." Joker said. She was assuming that's where he was driving now.

"What about clothes? We can't wear these nasty things. We'll be spotted for sure." Ann said, suddenly realizing the implications of 'regrouping their resources'.

"Once we get where were going, we'll send Devon to go get supplies." Joker told her. Devon groaned.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Though she was a wanted fugitive now. She couldn't exactly just walk into a store and browse anymore. Also, technically, she was still a millionaire. That money would be very useful. But she couldn't access it. Even if she had her arm card, it would surely be traced by the police. She supposed she could go to an ATM and get money once she got her card back. But the police would be hot on her. She would have to leave the area immediately afterward. Eventually they might even freeze her accounts to keep her out of them. But they weren't even her accounts anymore. Legally she had written up paperwork putting Misa in charge of everything, should anything happen to herself.

It was a lot to figure out. Not to mention her own personal items. There was one item in particular that she was yearning for. Her katana. She wouldn't mind having her guns either. Or her leather jacket.

Assuming the police hadn't packed up all her things in her old apartment, she could simply go get them. With the exception of her katana. Last she saw it, Joker had escaped the police with it and fled. She resolved to ask him about it once they were alone.

 

Perhaps she should wait several weeks to get the rest if her things. After their escape, the police would surely be watching for her there. She could always send Devon to retrieve her things. She hated that.

Then she remembered something. She had been wearing her jacket and guns when Joker had snatched her durring the chaos at the orphanage.

"J, I was wearing my guns and jacket when you, uh, picked me up that one day." She glared at him. "Where are they now?" She asked.

Joker inhaled and cursed quietly. "What's wrong?" She asked irritably. If he had gone and lost them she was going to beat him to death.

"They were at the warehouse. They were there when the police took us." He admitted sourly.

She bolted upright, furious, causing Joker to swerve. Everyone screamed in protest before Joker shoved her back down. "You mean to tell me the bloody police have my things?!" She yelled at him.

"Calm down!" He said defensively. "I've broken in and out of that pig pen before, remember? I can do it again." He tried to calm her.

"Except you didn't the last time you had a chance. What's up with that? It's almost like you wanted to be there!" She accused. She quickly glanced at Devon to see his reaction. If Joker had told him not to rescue them, he'd be feeling guilty right about now.

Her suspicion was right on the mark. Instead of watching the argument like the others he was purposely looking the other direction, avoiding eye contact.

 _I knew it. He did have a reason_.

"Your so suspicious. You know how ridiculous that sounds? Who would want to be in jail?" He asked.

She glared at him. "Someone who wants something." She mumbled.

She sat quietly the rest of the car ride, rolling things over in her head. Now she was sure of it. He HAD wanted something in the asylum. But he hadn't brought anything out with him when they escaped. And he had never insisted they make a side trip to retrieve whatever it was. That only meant one thing. He had been after something that couldn't be carried. At least not physically. He had to have been after information. It was the only logical conclusion. But what could have possibly been worth getting locked up for and ruining HER life to get?

What was in her future now? A lifetime on the run? Constantly looking over her shoulder? Hiding her real self so no one would recognise her? She could resume her life, in another country, maybe. Escape, like so many people on the wrong side of the law had.

But Joker didn't live like that. He always ran to the fight. Not away from it. Hell he started the fights. He was the world's biggest antagonist. Could she do that? Could she live her life by her own rules and damn anyone who tried to stop her?

She never had a chance to answer her own question. The car stopped before she could fully consider her options. Joker opened the door and she almost fell out of the car. After righting herself, she stepped out and looked around.

They were in a small clearing that was completely surrounded by woods. The stars sparkled above her and the moon bathed the area in a spooky glow. Ann wrinkled her nose. She had spent quite enough time bumbling around in the woods today. Surely Joker hadn't meant them to sleep in the middle of nowhere.

Looking a bit closer she noticed a building just inside the treeline off to their right. Not bothering to wait for the others, who were still trying to climb out of her car, she set off to investigate.

Once she was closer, the building, she realized, was actually an old barn. It was run down and in need of repair. She could barely see the remnants of red paint on the old and fading wood.

Curious, she opened the big door. Well, she tried. It didn't want to open. Giving it a strong yank, she managed to make it budge a bit. Resolved, she yanked on it again and it swung open just enough for her to slip inside.

Annoyed, she stepped right back outside. It was much too dark to see anything in the barn. Especially when the door wouldn't open.

Hearing footsteps approaching, she turned to see Joker. "This isn't where were staying, is it?" She asked. He laughed at her. "What's wrong, princess? Afraid of the hay?" He mocked.

She glared at him. "Don't call me that." She said angrily. He laughed at her again. "We're staying over there." He pointed farther into the woods. There was a small cottage style house not much farther than the barn.

Annoyed she hadn't seen it, she stomped off towards the cottage. She didn't know why she was in such a rotten mood. She should be happy they were finally out of the crazy house and free again. But it didn't feel like freedom. It felt like just a bigger cage.

She reached the door to the cottage in a matter of seconds, only to discover it was locked. Slightly put off by the whole experience, she crossed her arms and sat on the porch step to wait for the others.

Joker got there first, having followed her from the barn. "Why are you out here?" He asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"Duh, its locked." She told him, nodding at the door. He smirked and shook his head at her. "You've got a bit to learn still." He said more to himself. He walked up to the door. There was a pretty stained glass window that looked like it had once cost lots of money to have put in a door. Joker smashed his fist through it and unlocked the door from inside. Gaping at him, Ann stood and followed him inside.

It was too dark in the cottage to make out any details. But she could just barely see the outline of furniture. At least she would be able to keep from tripping on something. Just the same, she kept pace with Joker to avoid getting lost as he walked through the house.

Through a big open archway was what appeared to be a kitchen. Joker strode in like he lived there and rummaged around in one of the pantrys. After a moment he found what he was looking for. He sat something on the table. A moment later there was a spark. He had lit a match, she realized. She could see a bit better from its light. The object he had sat on the table had been an old kerosine lamp. Joker lit it and adjusted the wick length. A second later the room was illuminated in a soft yellow light.

Looking around, the room was fairly spacious. It was a quaint little kitchen. There was a stove, a microwave, a coffee machine, a toaster, and even a refrigerator. The counters went around one half of the room and were made of wood that had been polished shiny. The small square table and four chairs took up the other half of the room. The walls were pink with white paint sponged on in a thin layer over it. Everything was covered in a layer of dust.

"It's only temporary until I can get Devon up a pole to turn the electric on." Joker told her, talking about the kerosine lamp. He had confused her. "How will Devon be able to turn it on from here? Don't the electric companies control it?" She asked.

"Not entirely. When someone misses a payment, the company sends someone out to turn the power off manually. All we need to do is find their box and rewire it to get it back on." He explained.

"Won't they notice?" She asked. He shrugged. "Eventually yes. They'll just send someone to turn it back off. And we'll turn it on again." She giggled.

"Can the same be done with the water?" She asked, thinking about using the toilet. He nodded.

There was a loud commotion in the other room. Sighing, Joker took the lamp and walked back the way they had come in. It was quickly apparent what all the noise was about. Connor and the two thugs were in a heap on the floor and an end table had been knocked over.

"Bumbling idiots." Joker muttered before setting off out the front door. Ann quickly followed him, escaping the curses and threats coming from the room. Devon was walking up to the house, dragging a big plastic container behind him.

"What's that?" Ann asked. "Supplies." Devon said simply, heaving at the box one last time to get it into the porch. Joker immediately opened the container and started going through it. Ann was curious what was in the box, but Devon tapped her on the shoulder before she had a chance to look. He motioned for her to follow him. He walked off back towards the car without a word. She followed.

Going to the trunk, he pulled out a cardboard box and handed it to her. It wasn't as big as the container he had given Joker, but it was still a fair size.

Suddenly excited, Ann practically skipped back to the house with her mystery box. She hollared a thank you back at Devon.

Joker was still going through his box when Ann got there. She ignored him and sat with her box inside the lights perimeter.

Opening the box, she was happy to see some of her clothes had been packed inside. Along with a pair of her combat boots and her old leather trench coat. She was absolutely elated.

"Where can I change?" She asked Joker, ready to be out of the ugly patient uniform. Joker looked up from his box. Leaving it behind, he picked up the lamp and motioned for her to follow.

Once inside the house, he turned a corner instead of going straight through to the kitchen. Around the corner were a set of old and worn wooden stairs. Ann followed him up the stairs and to the end of a hallway where he opened a door and beconed her inside. It appeared to be the master bedroom. There was a queen size bed in the very center of the room with a beautiful canopy over it. Two dark wood bedside tables were on either side of the bed and there was a matching vanity at the other side of the room. There were two other doors in the room. One, she was assuming, went to a closet. She guessed the other door was a bathroom.

Ann walked over to the bed and sat her box on it. She rifled through the clothes until she found a pair of blue jeans and a white tank top. She only hesitated a moment before stripping the ugly clothes off her and replacing them with her own clothing. Joker was watching her intently the entire time. It only made her a little uncomfortable.

She had only just finished lacing up her boots when the hall lights blared on. Joker flicked the light switch and the bedroom lights came on as well. He blew out the lamp and sat it on the nearby vanity.

"Guess Devon got the electricity working." She mused, walking toward the door. Just as she went to pass him, Joker caught her arm and pushed her up against the doorframe. She froze, he was so close to her. Her heart was pounding like a drum in her chest. He leaned in and kissed her deeply. Her eyes fluttered closed and she kissed him back, enjoying the taste of his lips against hers.

He pulled away much too soon. She almost reached up to kiss him again, but he smirked at her and walked away, back down the stairs. Anger flooded her. Never before could she remember being so hot then suddenly left so cold.

Suddenly aware of just how tired she was, Ann glanced back at the bed in the room. Now that the rush and adrenaline of their escape had faded, she was completely exhausted. She thought long and hard about curling up in that bed. But ultimately decided against it. There were a few things she had to see to first. And one particularly annoying clown.

Ann dragged herself back down the stairs. She could hear voices coming from the kitchen, so that's where she went.

Joker's two thugs, Bozo and Wacko, she remembered, were sitting at the kitchen table. Connor was leaning on the counter beside them while Joker was standing, digging through his big container. Crane was hovering in the corner and Devon was making coffee.

No one had noticed her presence yet, so she stood quietly in the doorway watching. Finally finding what he was looking for, Joker handed a small machine gun to both Bozo and Wacko. Connor was looking enviously at the guns. Ann could tell he was feeling a bit defenceless.

Joker had noticed it too. Almost grudgingly, he slid one of the guns across the table at Connor, who caught it. He looked surprised Joker had given him that bit of trust. He checked the clip and made sure it was on safety.

Seeming to remember something, Joker turned around, only then realizing she was there. He walked over to her and handed her one of the guns. She frowned at it. "I don't have much experience with these." She said. She preferred her pistols. Accuracy over the 'pray and spray' method.

"We'll have some target practice tomorrow." He told her, assuming she had meant she didn't know how to shoot them. She shrugged.

Realizing everyone had a gun but him, Crane stepped forward, waiting for his.

"Oh no. You don't get one of these." Joker told him. Crane scowled, making his creepy sunken face look more scary. "Why not?" He asked angrily. "Cause I don't trust you." He said simply. Crane glared at him and Joker stared back at him. They held each others gaze a few moments before Crane finally backed off and relented. He shrugged his shoulders. "Fine." He said nonchalantly. "I'll have my own lackeys back together soon. Then I can go about my own business and be done with you." He walked back across the room and stood, almost pouting.

Ann watched the exchange apprehensively. Just what had happened between them in the past to make them so edgy around each other?

Crane glanced her way and smiled at her. Not just any smile either. It was one of those 'I'm flirting' smiles. She suppressed a shudder and looked away, ignoring him.

The coffee was done brewing now. And Ann was the first to grab her some. She needed the caffeine kick to keep her from feeling groggy. It seemed just about everyone needed the extra boost as well. Everyone but Joker got their own cup.

Devon handed out pieces of paper and everyone began scribbling on them. Confused, Ann was just about to ask what the paper was for, when Devon explained for her. They were making lists of things they needed Devon to retrieve. Things like clothes, personal objects, and food preferences.

She could definently use some more clothes. Devon had only brought her the one set. And she would need clean underware as well. She didn't particularly like the idea of Devon handling her panties. But it was necessary, she supposed.

She thought for a moment before adding several knives that she had left behind in her old apartment that Ashley was now living in. They were hidden, so Ann wrote instructions on where to find them.

 **Socks**!

That's right. She needed socks. She wrote it on the list.

"What's on your list?" Crane asked right next to her ear. She yelped and spun around. "Oh. Um just some clothes and a few knives." She told him.

"Ah. So you favor knives as well." He said, sounding slightly annoyed. She realized he was comparing her to Joker. "I favor whatever gets the job done." She told him. Ann glanced around for Joker, wanting no part of this conversation. But he had disappeared while she was busy writing her list.

"So, how'd you get mixed up with someone like Joker?" He asked, saying Joker's name distastfully. "I don't know. How'd you end up a patient in your own psych ward?" She shot back. He smirked at her. "Touchet."

Ann was just about to slip away when Joker walked back in the kitchen. He had changed his clothes and was back to his Clown Prince of Crime glory. Face paint and all.

Ann's heart skipped a beat. During their time at Arkham it had been easy to forget just how menacing he could be. Trying not to think about the effect his presence was having on her, she sipped at her coffee.

It wasn't long before everyone was finished with their lists. They all turned them in to Devon like it had been a homework assignment. Ann gave him her list last. Devon scanned through them. But when he came to hers his face turned a slight shade of red, probably realizing he would have to retrieve her some bras and panties. She gave him an apologetic look.

At least she hadn't asked him to buy her tampons. Smirking at the thought, she left the kitchen to explore the living area. Wacko had already beat her to it. He was in the corner of the room messing with the tv. The reception was poor, he was trying to adjust the antenna to make it work. For a moment it confused her. She hadn't had to deal with free tv since she was a child. But they couldn't exactly order dish or cable. They might be able to open an account under a fake name. But that would come later, as it wasn't exactly a necessity right now.

Before long Wacko had it going and everyone anxiously sat watching news about their villainous escape. The reporter was talking about the mystery surrounding the incident. The asylum had released the information about the alarm being tripped and that there was only a brief confrontation with the guards before they had disappeared completely. They weren't releasing the names of anyone involved but the reporter said it was rumored to be the Joker and his accomplice.

Ann was a little annoyed they hadn't mentioned her by name like they had Joker. But she wasn't exactly notorious like he was. They probably didn't give a crap about her involvement. Everyone would be panicking because Joker was free again.

After awhile the news began to get boring. They just kept repeating the same information. It was a breaking story, so the channels regular programing had been overrode.

Remembering the phone in her pocket, Ann brought it out. Thinking about the crazy doctor made her blood boil. But if not for her, they'd still be stuck in that awful place. Just the same, it wouldn't hurt to know just a little more about her. And possibly just how madly in love with Joker she was.

Turning on the phone, she went through the pictures first. Most of them were fairly normal. A selfie here or there and a few random pictures of things like the setting sun and the stars. Then in a separate folder she found something a bit disturbing. It was another selfie, but the doctor was wearing face paint similar to Joker's. And she was wearing a really slutty leather outfit.

Shuddering, Ann backed out of the pictures and went through the messages. None of them were even remotely interesting. Just dumb chit chat with people with random names.

Backing out of that, she started browsing randomly through the phones apps. She found a face book icon. She didn't personally have one. She thought it was stupid. But apparently the good doctor did. Clicking on it, she opened the app.

Most of it was pretty standard stuff. Funny videos, pictures other people had posted, jokes. Curious, she clicked on the messages section. Just like the text messages, there wasn't much that was interesting.

Finally, out of pure boredom, she picked a decent looking game, candy crush, and mindlessly tried to break the levels.

Snoring broke her from her trance like state in her game. Glancing up, she noticed the chubby thug, Bozo, had fallen asleep on the couch. Devon had long since left. Probably to go home and get some sleep before shopping for everything on their lists. It annoyed Ann that he was using her car for his errands. She'd have to remedy that soon.

Joker was lounging in a recliner, staring at the tv. He glanced at her and noticed her watching him. A small nod of his head asked her to join him.

Slipping the phone in her coat pocket, she got up and walked over to him. He looked at her expectantly while she stood in front of him. Finally deciding what to do, she straddled his waist and sat on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him and she nuzzles his neck.

She could feel Crane's eyes on her from across the room. It made her a bit uncomfortable. But hopefully this would stop his unwanted flirting.

He smelt nice, she observed. She liked his normal scent, gasoline and gunpowdern with just a hint of fresh dirt. But this was a different smell. He smelt clean and fresh. He had taken a shower, she realized.

 _Wish I'd thought of that_.

It would have to wait, she decided. She was incredibly exhausted. Now that her mind wasn't occupied with the silly game, her weariness was winning out over her. She yawned quietly. He tapped her on the back so she leaned up to see what he wanted. "Let's go to sleep." He said quietly. She nodded. She stood a little unsteady and they both walked upstairs, leaving the others to find their own place to sleep.

Ann entered the same bedroom they had been in before. She noticed light pouring in through the window. It was morning already. She would likely end up sleeping through the day, so long as no one disturbed her. She waited for Joker to shut the door before peeling her clothes off and laying them in a pile on the small dresser. She left her bra and underware on.

Joker was stripping down to his boxers while she climbed into the bed. The sheets and pillow smelled musty like they hadn't been touched in a long time. She didn't care. She was out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who continues to read my story. Comments are always appreciated. I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas!


	17. Chapter 17

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ann awoke slowly. She groggily opened her eyes and squinted at the noon day sun peering in at her from the window. Groaning, she rolled over to face away from the blinding light. And came nose to nose with Joker, who was very much awake. Jumping and yelling in surprise she pushed away from him and landed on her butt in the floor. His laugh filled the room.

Seconds later the rush of footsteps clattered from the hallway and the door burst open. Connor and the two thugs rushed into the room, apparently to see what her scream had been about.

They all stopped short at seeing her on the floor and mostly nude. Thankfully, the bed sheets were covering her. "Morons!" She yelled "Get out!" They all scrambled out the door and it shut with a thud. More laughter from Joker.

Glaring at him, she got up and yanked the sheet off him so she had something to cover herself with. He was still in his boxers. Attempting to avoid the awkwardness altogether, she did her best not to look at him while she wandered over to her clothes and began to dress.

"Don't you want to be lazy? Let's stay in bed all day." He said suggestively. She rolled her eyes. "You may feel like being lazy. But I actually have things to do today. So you go right ahead and stay in bed. I'll just make use of your band of thugs." She told him while trying to pull her pants on.

"What's so important that you need all my employees?" He asked, curious what her plans were.

"Well, I am going to need some other clothes, even if Devon does magically get what I need. And at some point I'll need my things back from the police. Also, I need to go to my apartment to get some things that have personal value to me." She told him. 

 

"Also, I want my katana. Where is it?" She asked casually, hoping to avoid talking about the circumstances that led up Joker taking it. 

"Your old apartment. I stayed there several weeks going you'd come back. When you didn't I left it where it belonged."

His answer surprised her. "Thank you." She told him, not really knowing what else to say. 

By now she was dressed and shrugged in her trench coat. She wasn't used to the weight of it anymore. Compared to her leather blazer it was heavy and thick. Checking the pockets, the cell phone was still there. She picked up the small automatic gun Joker had given her and checked the safety before shoving it awkwardly into the other pocket.

Joker was still lounging on the bed in his boxers. She shrugged "See ya later." She told him, then walked out the door.

The hall was empty. She had expected as much. So she walked downstairs to the kitchen. That was where she found everyone. They all looked drowsy. Kind of like she felt. She poured herself some of the freshly brewed coffee and sat at the table with the others. Connor blushed at her appearance. But Bozo whistled at her. She couldn't tell if he was mocking her or returning to his more primal and boorish self.

"Remember what happened last time you cat called me?" She asked from across the table. He mumbled and sipped his coffee.

"Has Devon showed up yet?" She asked. Wacko shook his head. Disappointed, Ann focused on her coffee. She couldn't exactly go do what she wanted without a car.

She had only been waiting a few minutes when Joker strolled into the room. He was in his usual clown getup, complete with fresh face paint. Ann secretly wondered where he kept the stuff. She couldn't remember ever actually seeing him put it on.

Joker was just about to sit at the table when a knock came from the front door. Everyone was suddenly on edge and they all pulled out their guns. They waited a moment. Another knock came from the door. "Is anyone going to answer it?" Ann whispered. "It could be the cops. You go answer it" Bozo told her. "That's rude. Shes a lady. You go answer it." Wacko told him. "Gawd. We're all wanted. We'll all go." Ann snapped.

They all stood and crept slowly to the front door. Ann shooed the group behind the door, deciding to take the biggest risk for herself. Joker hadn't said a word. He leaned against the far wall watching. Obviously he wasn't too worried about it.

She slowly opened the door, keeping her gun hidden behind her. She groaned and rolled her eyes. Devon was standing at the door with a big box in his hands. He was obviously having trouble holding it. He must have been kicking the door to get someones attention.

"What, too lazy to just put it down?" She asked, annoyed he had caused such a fuss. He didn't even give her a reply. He shoved past her and walked to the kitchen, straining to hold the heavy box.

Ann sarcastically pushed the door shut to reveal some relieved faces, and a smirking Joker. Devon came back onto the living room, looking visibly relieved. "Thanks for getting the door, Ann." He told her. "You three, there's more to carry in. Let's go." He said, pointing to Connor, Wacko, and Bozo. They all three groaned and followed him out to the car.

Curious, Ann walked outside and sat on the porch. She watched as the four of them carried box after box into the house. They were all labeled with the owners name written in sharpie. She noticed several that were marked for her go by. Finally it looked like all the boxes were taken care of. Devon was the last one inside, carrying two cases of Dr Pepper. Ann was overjoyed. She hadn't thought to put it on the list. But she was extraordinarily grateful Devon had thought to bring her some.

Following Devon inside, the whole house was in disarray. Boxes were scattered everywhere and everyone was in the living room going through them. She didn't bother with that just yet. She followed Devon to the kitchen where he put one of the cases in the fridge. Ann immediately ripped one open and grabbed her a can. They weren't cold yet. But she popped it open anyway and savored that first taste before joining the others in the living room.

All her boxes were stacked neatly in a corner by a vacant chair. So she went to sit and rummage through them like all the others.

She had four boxes. She opened the first one to find some of her clothes had been packed up and neatly folded. Mostly jeans in this box. She sat it aside and opened the next one. This one was full of shirts. There were a lot of her tank tops along with some warmer shirts and a few of her nicer blouses. She sat it on top of the first box and opened the next one. This one was packed neatly with several packs of socks. Lifting a pack, she saw that they were concealing a bunch of panties and bras of varying sizes and colors. She laughed to herself. At least he had gotten comfortable ones and not granny panties. She would have to go through them later to sort out the ones that were the wrong size. She made sure to carefully close the box before putting it with the rest. Grabbing her last box, she noticed it was a bit heavier than the others. Opening it revealed the knives she had asked for from Ashley's apartment. She could just imagine the conversation he and Ashley had had about all the knives they didn't know about. There was also a box of tampons, a makeup kit, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, and a note addressed to her from Ashley. All the extra stuff must have been her doing.

Ann opened the note and a bank card with Misa's name on it fell out.

Dear Ann:

I'm so glad to hear your safe and all is well. I've missed you so much! I put some extra stuff in your box for you. It figures you wouldn't think of the importance things. I thought I'd catch you up on a few things. Misa is running the company now. She says she hates it because she feels like she's taken it from you. But she's doing a good job. Bruce is constantly following both of us. Especially now that you've escaped. So I have to be extra careful. Maroni sends his regards and says he's impressed with you for escaping so quickly. He had a bet going with some people. He had you figured for a week. He lost. Haha. The police are staking out your apartment. Just thought I'd let you know. Reign and her sister are doing good. Maroni has become kind of a mentor for her lately. He's having her tutored in English, math, and music. She loves it. If you need anything else just have Devon ask me and I'll do my best to help out. Misa wanted you to have a card so you could get your money when you want it. And it's got her name so you wont have to worry about the cops thinking its you. Love you and hope to see you soon!

Ashes

Laughing at the note, Ann folded it back up and put it in her pocket. She put the bank card in one of the inside pockets on her jacket for safe keeping. She slid a knife in each outside coat pocket and then clipped one onto her jeans pocket. This made her feel a bit more secure.

She closed up the box and, stacking another on top of it, she carried them up to her shared room with Joker. She had just turned around to go fetch the other two when Joker came in behind her, carrying them.

"Get everything you needed?" He asked. She smiled. "I got everything I asked for. But I still have some things I need to get from my apartment, and I want my stuff back from the police. And I want my motorcycle so I can leave if I want." She told him.

"You don't want to stay here with me?" He asked, faking hurt feelings. "I am. I just meant if I wanted to go out on my own for a day or something." She told him. He frowned. "Not a great idea. It's best to go out in pairs or in a group. That way if the cops ambush you you'll have some backup." He told her.

"When have I ever followed the rules?" She asked. He only smiled at her. "We can get your things from the cops. But it'll take some time and preparation. And we can go by your apartment to get what you want. But we need some cash first." He told her.

"Goinna hit up a bank?" She asked. He smiled that trademark smile. "That's where all the cash is."

* * *

 

An hour later Ann was in a van with the rest of the gang. It was crowded. She sat next to Joker at the front and everyone else was in the back. Devon was the driver. She was beginning to wonder where Joker got these stupid vans. Bad guy wheels on demand? Devon was the only one wearing a mask, since everyone else was already wanted by the police.

It wasn't long before they pulled up in front of a bank. It was almost 3 o clock. The apparent perfect time to rob a bank. And indeed, the bank wasn't very busy. They all piled out of the van. Devon stayed behind to provide a quick get away. They ran in the bank, guns blazing. This had to be a fast robbery, as they didn't have anyone to silence the alarms. So instead of hostaging the customers with grenades they went ignored. The bystanders literally fled out the doors, no doubt some already calling the police.

Luckily, their reputation had proceeded them. The manager was so terrified he led them to the safe and opened it willingly. Ann and Crane guarded the lobby and remaining tellers while Joker, Bozo and Wacko stuffed cash into duffel bags. It took them about ten minutes to finish. Luckily, or rather strategically, they had picked a bank that was far away from the police station. So they probably had about a minute left before the cops showed up.

Sure enough, just as they were climbing back into the van, Ann heard sirens. The doors shut and they took off just as a squad of cop cars came barreling around the block.

The cops didn't even bother stopping at the bank. They all came straight for the van that was barreling away from the crime scene. Devon hit a sharp corner and Ann was nearly thrown into Joker's lap. He helped steady her before leaning out the window to pelt the police cars with gun fire.

"How can I help?" Ann asked just as Devon made another sharp turn. She had to brace herself to avoid falling into Joker again. Joker pulled his head back in the van. He practically threw his gun in her lap. "Reload." One of the people in back handed him another gun and he was back out the window spraying the police. She yanked her gun from her pocket to buy her time. "I need ammo!" She yelled at the thugs. Someone dumped a duffel bag full of magazines in her lap. She reloaded one gun and there was a loud crash from behind them. One of the cop cars must have hit something. Devon swerved around traffic making it chaotic and nerve racking to try to hold on to all the crap in her lap and avoid falling over.

Joker pulled his head back in the van just long enough for her to hand him a loaded gun. He tossed her the now empty one and then started shooting again. It went like this for quite some time. She narrowed her focus to nothing but grab gun, reload gun, hand gun. She had long since stuffed the bag behind her with the zipper slightly open so she could reach behind her and pull out a magazine. She had four of them held between her thighs to free up her hands.

She always had a gun and Joker always had a gun. While he was shooting she would reload hers and grab another magazine from the bag. They'd trade when he was done shooting. Every so often she would hear a loud boom or another crash from behind them. And when she reloaded the gun she would toss the empty clip in the back. She had accidentally his someone twice now. She only knew because of the curse she would receive in return.

"Are they at least beginning to thin out a bit?" She yelled over the gun fire. "I'm down to six cars." Joker told her when he came back in for another gun. A spot light suddenly lit up the front of the van. Ann shielded her eyes and leaned forward to peer at its source. "We've picked up a ghetto bird." She told them.

Devon and Joker both looked at her. She could tell what they were thinking. What a weird thing to say. "What?!" She yelled at them. Devon gasped and swerved, nearly avoiding a car. "What the hell is a ghetto bird?" He asked. Joker had gone back to shooting, only now at the helicopter. "That is!" She yelled, pointing at the chopper that was keeping a steady pace with them.

"It that what they call them in Oklahoma?" He asked, keeping his eyes on the road. "Sometimes, I guess. It's just a slang term, okay. Shut up and drive." She told him, annoyed.

Joker's bullets hit the chopper and it swerved away only to continue following them at a farther distance.

"This has to stop. We have to make a drastic move or were going to end up dead." Ann said. "Well, what exactly do you suggest?" Devon said irritably. "It's not like we can politely ask them to stop."

They had to out smart them. This was a losing game. Eventually Devon would make a bad move, or one of the cops would shoot out a tire. It was a matter of time. She reloaded for Joker and thought for a minute. "Are there any railroad tracks that go underground?" She asked.

"How the hell should I know?" Devon all but yelled. His stress level was rising, she realized.

Ann pulled her the phone from her pocket. "Crane!" She yelled over her shoulder.

"Scarecrow!" He yelled back. "Whatever! Can you pull up a map of the city and look for any railroad tracks that lead outside the city? If you can find some that go through a tunnel that'd be great too." She asked him and handed him the phone. "I'll try."

"If we can't find any underground tracks, we'll have to take out the chopper." Ann told Joker. "So focus on it. The cops will have a hard time following us on the tracks." She told him. He traded her guns and continued shooting at it. She reloaded again.

"What's going to stop 'us' from having trouble on them?" Devon asked skeptically. "We're in a van." She replied "The suspension on this thing is high, which will help keep us from getting hung up. But the police cars are mostly Crown Victoria models. Geared towards speed and durability. Their suspension is lower."

"Hmm." Was all he said. Probably surprised she knew a bit about cars.

"There's a set of tracks not far from us." Crane reported from behind her. "I can't find any with tunnels. But this one curves through the industrial park and leads out of town. Then goes through a few miles of wooded areas." He told them. "Great!" She exclaimed. If they could lose that chopper, the police would never be able to keep up with them. Between all the train tracks in the industrial park and the woods it would be hard for the cops to find them again once they were out of sight.

"We have to lose that chopper." Ann commented, frustrated that Joker hadn't taken care of it yet.

"Take the wheel!" Devon shouted at her. She barely had time to grab the wheel to swerve around a car while Devon leaned out his window and began shooting at the chopper. Ann scooted over to reach the pedals. Devon's butt was in her face. But she wasn't uncomfortable. After a moment he got back in, nearly sitting on her before she could scoot back over. Joker came back in as well. "It's no good. They're too far away to do any damage." Devon commented.

"Well, eventually it'll have to refuel." She replied. "Can't wait that long." Joker told her. "Why not?" She asked. She peered up at it again. "It's a short range chopper. I don't think it's equipped for extensive flights." She said, more to herself.

"Won't matter. We have company." Joker told her.

Confused, Ann leaned over past him to look in the mirror. In the middle of the pursuit of police cars was a huge tank! Well, it looked almost like a tank, but much faster. She had seen that thing before. It was Batman.

A rocket shot out from it straight at the van. "Watch out Dev!" She yelled.

Devon swerved around and made a sharp turn, barely avoiding the rocket as it smashed in to a parked car.

"Shit!" Ann yelled. "We can't take a hit like that." She said, stating the obvious.

"That train go over a bridge?" Joker asked Crane. "Yes! It does!" Crane yelled back. "Which way?" Joker asked. "Turn right!" Devon jerked around the corner, almost missing the turn.

"Not much point shooting that thing." Ann commented. Joker nodded and began shooting at the helicopter again. Maybe they'd get lucky and the damn thing would crash right in to Batman's insane car.

"I looked it up. A police chopper like that one can stay in the air for 430 miles at high speeds." Crane yelled. "So anywhere from 2 to 5 hours."

"Damn it." Ann cursed. There went that idea. "We're going to have to bring it down." She told the group. "And how do you suggest we do that?" Devon asked sarcastically.

"Ugh! Why didn't anyone think to bring a rocket launcher?!" She yelled.

Batman's tank launched another rocket at them. Devon cursed and skidded around another corner to avoid it. Ann hadn't been prepared for it and was flung into Joker. He steadied her again. "That's it!" Ann yelled. "We have a rocket launcher. We just have to make it shoot the chopper." She exclaimed.

"The odds of that actually working are outrageous." Crane commented. "You'll have to go up an embankment of some kind just when the helicopter is right in front of you and hope to god he shoots at you at the right moment. Then you have to get out of the way."

"You have to spoil it, don't you?!" Ann yelled.

"That's it. Give me the phone." Joker said calmly. Crane gave it to him, nearly dropping it when Devon had to slide around another corner.

Joker opened the texting app and typed in a number she didn't know. He then typed out a message. His fingers were incredibly fast. She couldn't see what he was typing, but it was quite something to watch.

He shut off the phone and handed it to her. "Go to 145th." Joker told Devon. Devon turned right and stepped on the gas. This road was pretty clear, giving him more room to get up to speed. He was giving the little van all it was worth, clocking in at 97 miles an hour.

"What's at 145th?" Ann asked. "A bad guy with a rocket launcher." Joker told her. Ann laughed. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Bear lives on 145th." Devon commented quietly. Ann laughed again. What a simple solution.

Devon slowed a bit before making a left turn. "Okay, this is 145th." He told them. Excited, Ann scooted nearly in Joker's lap to look out and watch the helicopter. He laughed quietly at her. "Enjoying yourself, little Shadow?" He asked in her ear. It sent chills straight up her back. "What's my favorite holiday?" She asked him. He smiled and threw his arm around her. "Fourth of July."

Boom!

The helicopter exploded and shards of twisted metal and debris fell from the sky. Devon swerved around a large chunk of metal as it fell right in front of the van. Everyone cheered.

The crash of the helicopter seemed to anger Batman. His tank went from a steady pursuit to ramming the back of the van.

"I think he's mad." Ann said after the second time. "Almost to the train tracks." Devon said, more to himself.

"Hang on. He's trying a pit maneuver." Devon warned them. Ann knew what a pit maneuver was. But she hadn't thought of what Devon would do to avoid it. All of a sudden Devon slammed on the breaks. Everyone else had been prepared. But Ann flew forward. Joker grabbed at her, keeping her from flying through the windshield. But she banged her head on the dash pretty hard. An instant later Batman's tank flew past them and across the street where they would have been. Devon slammed on the gas again and sped past him as he tried to recover.

"Damn it. Fucking hell." Ann grumbled, holding her head. "I told you to hold on." Devon chastised. Bang bang. Batman was slamming into their bumper again.

"Fucking dick." She mumbled. "Why didn't anyone bring anything useful? Like a grenade or something " she complained. She had already been angry at Batman. But causing her to slam her head into the dash had sent her into a mild rage.

"Hey! I did bring some. They're in a box under the seat!" Devon said. "I can't believe I forgot." Joker, glaring at him, reached over and slapped him upside the head. "Ouch! Guess I deserve that."

"Never mind." Ann said, pulling the box out from under the seat. "This should make him think twice about bumping us."

Ann opened the box and pulled out a grenade. It was heavier than she would have thought it should be. There was a pin that everyone knows you have to pull. But there was also a second pin holding the long handle to the grenade body. Going on a guess, she flipped the smaller pin off the handle and pulled the larger pin out. The handle flipped up and off the grenade.

"Where is he?" She asked. "Jesus! Throw it!" Devon yelled. Startled, she threw it out the window. Exactly a second later there was a loud boom and the van shook. Her eyes went wide. One second more and she'd have killed them all. Joker's face was serious and somewhat shaken. He put his hand on her shoulder before gently taking the box from her. "Let's go over how this works before we do that again." He said calmly.

"The handle is what activates the detonation. Once you pull the pin you can hold it as long as you want, so long as you keep ahold of the handle." He explained. "But once you release the handle you need to get rid of it."

"I thought you had like ten seconds till it exploded." She said, more to herself. "This isn't the fucking movies." Devon said. Clearly he had gone past stressed and was now visibly frazzled.

"So," Joker continued "hold the handle when you pull the pin. Once the handle is gone you have 3 to 6 seconds before it explodes."

"Okay. He's over here." Joker handed her a grenade. "Try again."

Ann took the grenade and scooted over to look in the side mirror. She was a bit more nervous this time. She flipped off the small pin then pulled the bigger one. Looking in the mirror again, she tossed the grenade. Ann and Joker both watched the grenade bounce on the pavement behind them until, a few short seconds later, Batman's tank drove past it just as it exploded.

It wasn't a direct hit. It only scalded the side. But the tank swerved and almost went off the road before regaining a steady pace back by the several remaining police cars.

"I think he got the message." Ann announced. "Good. Now let's make sure he doesn't forget it." Joker replied. He grabbed two grenades and pulled both their pins before leaning out the window. He threw one, then the other, in a high arch. To reach to cop cars that had backed off, Ann realized.

A moment later twin booms rang through the night and the a loud chaotic mixture of crashes bangs and more booms. Both his grenades had taken out a cop car and one of those cars had taken down a third.

"Are we almost to the industrial park yet?" Ann asked. "Getting closer." Devon replied.

They rounded a corner. "Uh oh." Devon said suddenly. Ann looked up to see another squad of police cars in front of them. They must have been reinforcements. And they happen to turn on the road they were coming in on. Devon turned again before they could collide with the police. Now it looked like every cop in the city was behind them and even a few swat vans.

Devon made another turn and Ann began to recognise where they were. "The tracks we want are just past the paper plant.". Crane instructed from behind them. The paper plant was only several blocks away.

It took mere seconds to travel those last few blocks. The train tracks were in plain sight now, going across the road they were on.

"Which way do I go? Left or right?" Devon asked. "Right!" Shouted crane at the last moment. Devon hit the brakes and slowed considerably to avoid rolling the van over as he turned and bounced onto the train tracks.

It was bumpy. Really bumpy. The van was almost a vibrator on steroids. After a moment Devon sped up a bit and it got even worse. But, looking back behind them, the police had all come to a complete stand still. The only one pursuing them was batman. But he was going considerably slower than their van was managing.

Eventually they'd break away from him all together. But, eventually, the police would figure out where these tracks led and try to ambush them.

The train tracks curved and twisted between buildings and industrial plants. It was quite entertaining. Or would be if not for the extreme discomfort of riding on such a bumpy path. Up ahead the track curved to the left, going across a drainage canal. A bridge was connecting the track from one side to the other. It was an old looking bridge, made from old and rusted steel. Steel beams arched up from one end to the other on both sides of the track.

Once they reached the bridge, Ann realized it was quite narrow. Only just wide enough to let a train pass through. Luckily, it looked like they would just barely squeeze through. But batman...

At the realization Ann practically jumped into Joker's lap to look out the window and behind them. Just as she had guessed, Batman's tank vehicle was much too wide to go between the support beams. He had stopped just short of reaching them.

A wide grin spread over her face at having out witted him. Then she remembered, that thing could turn into a motorcycle. She looked back again, apprehensive. She continued to watch him until they were out of sight. Surely if he was going to use the motorcycle he would have by now.

Reasonably certain they were in the clear, she sat back in her seat to wait out the annoyingly bumpy ride.

They continued on the railroad track for quite some time before finding a suitable road to exit onto. It seemed there were no police in sight. If they had found maps for the train track, they hadn't been able to utilize them yet.

"Since all the cops will be distracted looking for us here, maybe we can go by my apartment before we disappear?" She asked.

"All right. But it'll have to be fast." Joker told her. She smiled and nodded, happy she'd soon have her katana and a few weapons of her own back.

It took nearly half an hour to reach her apartment. It was getting dark now and the streets were nearly deserted. Devon pulled the van into the covered parking lot. Ann hoped it would help conceal the van from wandering eyes.

"Wait here and go ahead and ditch if cops show up." Joker told Devon and the rest. Devon nodded.

Joker got out of the van and Ann jumped out next to him. They had parked close to the elevator, so it was a short walk. Once in the elevator Joker hit the button for the top floor and it began moving steadily upward.

Ann was feeling nostalgic. It felt like it had been forever since she had been here. True, it had never really felt like home. But it was the closest thing she had had.

The elevator dinged as they reached the top floor. Ann stepped into the foyer and froze. The door was marked with crime scene tape.

"Crap. I don't have a key." She told him. Joker sighed. "Start thinking like a criminal." He told her. She thought about it a moment then the realization struck her. She braced herself before giving the door the hardest front kick she could. And nothing happened. The door didn't budge.

Disappointed, she was about to try again when Joker stopped her. "We don't have time, love." He explained before giving the door his own kick, just above the dead bolt. The door flew open and banged against the wall. She glared at him before walking inside.

She went straight downstairs to the little table that held her katana. Grabbing it, she then went to her room sized safe and opened the lock. She grabbed several of her most favorite knives. And one in particular Joker had gotten her when they had first met. She also grabbed her modified AR-15, a prototype she had taken from her company. She slung the strap over her head and shoulders so that the rifle was on her back before grabbing a pair of Bersa Thunder 380 pistols. She didn't like them as well as the pistols Joker had given her, but she much preferred them to the crude machine pistols Joker's thugs used.

She also picked up a holster harness for the pistols that wrapped around her shoulders. The pistols would fit snugly under her arms, concealing them from view under her coat and giving her easy access to them. For now, she stuck the pistols in her coat pockets and put the harness over her shoulder.

Picking up several boxes of ammo for her reacquired guns, she handed them to Joker, who was watching quietly. He took the ammo without a word. She picked up several more to carry herself.

Ann shut the vault and locked it back before going back upstairs to her bedroom. She grabbed several of her more comfortable jeans and tank tops.

Going to the kitchen, Ann opened a pantry door and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. "This is mine." She told him. He had a habit of stealing her booze.

Satisfied she had everything she wanted, she nodded and they headed for the door. The door that they had left open. The one that was now shut.

Ann stopped short of entering the living room. It was very dark. Joker had noticed the door too. They were both on edge. They didn't need to communicate their shared suspicion. She could read his body language easily, as he could her.

Ann dropped the clothes and ammo boxes at her feet, preparing for a fight. Joker kept a hold of the two boxes she had given him, but he was holding one in each hand now. Probably preparing to hurl them at an enemy if a fight should start.

Ann reached over slowly and flicked on the lights. They both tensed, searching the room. Nothing. It was empty.

Looking at each other, they both quietly started for the door, leaving her clothes and two ammo boxes behind. She let Joker go first and she crept behind him, searching every spot someone could be lurking.

Then wham! She was hit hard in the back of the head. She was in the floor fast, her world spinning. It had nearly been enough to put her out cold. But sheer stubborn stupidity kept her conscious. She managed to get to her hands and knees. Her vision was still fuzzy and her head felt like it was split open.

She could make out the sound of fighting. But she was so disoriented, she could do nothing but try to recover. Then, a pull at her consciousness sent her into a panic.

"No. No. Stay out." She protested.

**My turn...**

_No!_

Her vision cleared instantly and the pain in her head subsided considerably. She stood. But it wasn't her. Akira was in control. Ann could do nothing but watch.

Looking down, her katana was at her feet. She bent and picked it up with the calm demeanor of someone who had seen a billion lives lost.

Ann could see Joker on the other side of the room. He was fighting with Batman. Of course it was Batman. He just couldn't give it up.

They were fairly evenly matched. Both fighting the other with everything and neither of them gaining an inch.

Both men were completely ignoring her presence, assuming she was down for the count. Akira smiled and unsheathed the sword, pulling it fully from the scabbard with a sheik and smooth metal on metal sound. She held the katana in her right hand and its sheath in her left.

She examined the blade a moment before turning her attention to the ensuing battle. Batman had his back to her and was blocking her view of Joker. Ann was glad. This would give Joker a chance at seeing her before she attacked. And honestly, Ann wasn't quite sure which one Akira would be attacking.

Akira simply and quietly walked up behind Batman. She caught Joker's eye an instant before she struck. He barely had time to move when Akira landed a hard front kick right in the middle of Batman's back. He went sprawling forward, nearly colliding with Joker.

Joker backed up against the wall to survey the scene and she pointed the tip of her katana at his throat, causing him to freeze in place. Shock and confusion written all over his face.

"Down boy." She said, in a sexy and provocative tone. His eyes widened and he took a step back, holding his hand up. As if to say 'easy now. He's all yours'.

She nodded, knowing he wouldn't intervene, and backed up a few steps as Batman got back to his feet.

Batman looked confused as well. He glanced at Joker who held his hands up again before leaning back against the wall to watch.

Waisting no more time, Batman leapt at her, launching into a series of attacks, kicks, and punches. Akira avoided them all easily. She never even let him make contact by blocking. She simply danced out of his way. After a minute, she grew tired of the defensive. At the perfect moment, she spun and dropped, sweeping her sword at his feet. He barely managed to jump over the sword. But as he jumped, Akira sprung up, landing her left hand in a punch under his chin.

Batman fell backward, turning the fall into a roll to bring him back to his feet. He didn't bother trying to recover. He ran at her the moment his feet hit the ground. Ann would have called it a blind charge. He was trying to over power her.

Akira waited till he was almost on top of her before she spun out of his way. As she twisted she brought her sword around and sliced neatly into his arm. It was perfectly placed right between the joints of his armor at the elbow.

She hadn't cut him deep enough to do any permanent damage. But the implication was the same. She could have easily taken off his arm.

Realizing he needed to change tactics, Batman pointed a fist at her. A second later a small grappling hook shot out and wrapped around the sword. He yanked at it, trying to pry it from her grip.

The initial shot of the hook had taken her by surprise. But she didn't let it affect her a bit. In true Japanese fashion, she dropped the sheath and grabbed the hilt of the sword with both hands before bending and hooking her left elbow over the cord. She yanked her arm backwards and then hooked her right elbow over the cord. This created a figure eight loop around her elbows. Batman tried to pull her forward, but her footing was too stable. She hooked her left elbow over the cord again and yanked. Batman was pulled forward a bit. She repeated the process and yanked hard. Finally Batman was pulled forward and he stumbled. She shot forward and brought her knee up into his face as he fell.

Akira backed up to create distance before untangling her sword.

Batman was slow to get to his feet this time. When he did Ann could see blood flowing from under his now cracked face mask.

"It's a pity. I expected more from you. Your mentor would be disappointed." Akira taunted. Her voice was smooth and silky. A stark contrast from Ann's.

Surprise lit Batman's face. "What do you know about my mentor?" He demanded

"Enough to know he should have trained you better than this. Surely the art hasn't decayed to this extent."

Filled with emotion, Batman leapt at her. His lapse in judgement was all she needed. As his fist came at her face she sidestepped and hooked her free arm around his. She used his momentum to spin him around and, with more strength than Ann realized she had, flung him away from her and out the balcony window.

Screaming in protest, Batman made a last second move for a second grappling hook and caught the rail of the balcony with it just before he would have fallen to his death.

Akira walked calmly out the broken window and peered over the railing. She rested her sword on the cord, the only thing keeping him from certain death.

_No!_  Ann protested.

_Leave him. He's no longer a hindrance or a threat!_

Akira sneered before pulling the blade away and returning inside the apartment. She wiped the small smear of blood off the blade before picking up the scabbard and sheathing the katana.

She glanced at Joker who was still watching her intently. Ann knew, like Akira did, that he had already figured out what had happened.

_Okay. You had your fun._

**But not nearly enough**.

Smiling, she cat walked toward Joker, who had a second chance to look surprised. Even without knowing her thoughts, it was clear what her intention was.

_He's mine!_

Ann struggled to fight back for control over her body. Akira froze mid step. Sneering, she mentally pushed Ann back. But Ann kept fighting her. Akira was strong, but she was worn down from fighting. A moment more and Ann broke through, forcing Akira back into her subconscious and taking control back.

Ann collapsed, physically and mentally drained. The pain at the base of her head intensified, and she realized Akira had been holding it back from hurting so badly. On her knees, she held her head, trying to make the pain go away.

Joker was next to her suddenly. He had her bottle of whiskey. He opened the seal and she took it thankfully. Tipping the bottle up she chugged as much as she could manage. She would be drunk later. But she didn't care. Anything to make the pain go away.

Joker took the bottle back and screwed the lid back on before helping her to her feet. He grabbed her ammo and clothes before helping her silently to the elevator just as Batman was crawling back over the balcony.

Joker pushed the button in the elevator and the doors closed just in time for her to get a glimpse of Batman stumbling into the living room. He looked torn up and injured. But he would be fine. Ann was relieved. True, she was mad at him. He had blantantly chosen his precious law and society over her freedom when he put himself in the way of her escape at the jail. Now they were on opposite sides, and enemies. But that didn't mean she wanted him to die.

The elevator dinged, breaking her out of her thoughts. The doors opened and Joker helped her to the van. She was perfectly capable of walking on her own. But he seemed to want to help her, holding her arm to give her extra support should she need it. So she didn't complain or shrug him off.

They opened the van door and he helped her inside before getting in and shutting the door. "What the hell took so long?" Devon asked. He was still in a bad mood. But it looked like he had calmed down since their crazy escape.

"Pest problems." Joker told him. "Let's go."

Devon backed out and drove out onto the road, headed back to their temporary home.

"Batman was here?" Bozo asked from behind them. "I thought we lost that punk."

"He probably came here hoping we would show up." Ann replied. Her head still hurt pretty badly. Every unnecessary noise or sound shot a thumping pain across the back of her head. She was trying to minimize the conversation.

"Your bleeding." Crane commented. "Ugh, well no shit." She shot back. "What happened?" He asked. His voice actually sounded a bit concerned. She told herself she would figure out his motives later.

"The bastard sucker punched me in the back of the head. Probably trying to knock me out." She explained. "It didn't work out in his favor."

Joker was silent next to her. Probably going back over the whole thing. She was sure he would have some questions later. Probably an interest in Batman's 'mentor'. Just from hearing Akira's thoughts, Ann knew his name was Ra's Al Ghul. Weird name.

Making a logical guess, Ann was figuring that Akira had known the man from her past life. Or maybe his ancestry line? It seemed unlikely the man she would have known centuries ago was the same man to train Bruce. But that name was unwaivering in her memory. Ra's Al Ghul. There had been no question in Akira's mind.

She could always ask her. But Akira was angry right now, still in battle mode. And probably pissed off that Ann had taken control back. Come to think of it, Ann was pretty pissed at her too. She was totally going to screw him! Bitch.

It would be better to wait till they had both calmed down before attempting to gain information.

Exhausted and drained, Ann leaned her head on Joker's shoulder. She was glad they were headed back now. She didn't think she could handle any more excitement tonight.

Smirking at her, Joker put his arm around her and pulled her against his chest.

* * *

 

The sound of doors slamming shut woke her from her sleep. Groggily, she realized she was still in the van. She must have dozed off on the ride back. Joker helped her out of the van. She saw the small cottage and, without hesitation, walked off to go inside and sleep.

Joker caught her when she was halfway up the stairs. "Don't to go sleep. We need to check your injuries." He told her. Groaning, she clambered back down the stairs and plopped down on the couch.

Something hard stabbed her in the back and she realized she was still wearing her rifle. Dimly, she shrugged it off and sat it beside her and pulled her coat off. Joker had her katana, she realized. He walked in carrying it and a large red box. She was guessing it was their first aid kit.

She could hear the others making noise off in the kitchen. Crane waked in just as Joker sat down beside her.

"Okay, turn so I can look at your head please." Crane instructed her. Ann gave him a weird look then looked at Joker. He was giving crane that same weird look. "I think I can handle it." Joker told him.

"Alright, but which one of us is a licensed doctor?" Crane argued. Joker almost laughed. "Not you." He replied. Ann laughed at the quip. His license had been taken when he was arrested.

"Fair point. But which one of us has actually saved lives instead of destroying them?" He argued again. "Hm, last thing I remember you doing was making people go clinically insane with your nerve gas before bringing a hoard of ninjas down on the whole city." Joker argued back.

"Wait, ninjas. Like actual ninjas?" Ann asked. She was ignored.

"That's no worse than you creating a city wide panic just by telling people to get out!"

And they continued to argue. Sighing, Ann got up and headed for the bedroom.

"Hold on, where are you going?" Crane asked, him being the first one to realize she was leaving. "I'm going to bed. To hell with both of you." She began walking up the stairs.

"Okay okay." Joker grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the couch. "Fine. But I swear, one yelp of pain from her and I'll shoot you myself." He threatened. "Gee. I'm so glad I have someone to make all my decisions for me." She put in sarcastically.

Ann sat on the couch backwards and rested her forehead in the back of the couch so they could poke and prod her.

Crane opened the first aid kit and sat it on the table. She couldn't see what he was doing. But she was guessing based on the sounds she could hear. Suddenly his fingers were on her scalp, combing through her long hair.

She shivered involuntarily. It felt strange having him dig around her scalp and in her hair. Joker was sitting beside her, watching her intently. She had absolutely no doubt he really would shoot Crane if he hurt her. So she was careful to keep her expression neutral.

"Found it. Looks like it needs some stitches." Crane told her. He lifter her long hair up and over her head to keep it from being in the way.

"I'm drawing the line at shaving my hair. Whatever you have to do, your going to do it without cutting any of my hair." She told him.

"But it'll be impossible to bandage it after I stitch it up." Crane complained.

"I don't care. I will straight up beat your ass if you shave my hair." She glared at Joker. "You too."

She could tell he didn't want to upset her. Either because she had had a long day or because he didn't want her to switch with Akira again. She wasn't sure which one. But he agreed with her.

"Just leave the hair. I'll make sure she keeps it clean" he told Crane. Crane sighed.

"Okay, but it'll be more difficult. I need some alcohol to sterilize the needle." He told Joker.

"Connor!" Joker yelled. Ann winced. He had just yelled in her ear. A commotion came from the kitchen, along with the sound of glass breaking and someone cursing. A second later Connor scrambled into the room.

"Yes?" He asked. "Get some alcohol and a small bowl. And a towel and wash cloth." He demanded.

Connor looked around, trying to figure out where to find the supplies Joker had asked for. A second later he ran out of the room.

There was a long awkward silence in the room after he left. Everyone was waiting for him to return. It seemed to take forever. But he finally came back.

"Umm. Sorry. I got the towel and bowl and wash cloth. But I can't find any alcohol anywhere." He admitted.

"What about that bottle of whiskey you had earlier?" Crane suggested. "No way. I need that." Ann protested. "It's yours?" Crane asked, surprised. "Huh. Never would have pegged you for a drinker." Ann's face turned red with anger and a bit of embarrassment. "I'm not a drinker you moron. It's for.. Never mind. It's none of your business."

Joker handed the bottle to crane who poured a small amount into the bowl before stringing the needle and dropping it into the liquor. He dabbed a small amount of liquor onto the rag.

"Okay. I'm going to sterilize the wound. This will probably sting a bit." He warned her. "Fine." This whole thing was beginning to piss her off. She would have just left it to heal on its own. But they were making it into a big deal.

She felt the tip of the rag on her scalp as he swabbed it over the wound. The alcohol did sting. But it wasn't that bad.

"Alright. I'm going to sew you up now. Try to stay still." Ann felt the needle against her skin and she resisted the urge to tense up. A stab of pain shot through her and she ground her teeth, trying to keep from yelling at him.

"Does that hurt?" Connor asked. She hadn't even realized he was still in the room. "What do you think?!" She snapped at him. A glare from Joker sent him away.

Another stabbing pain hit her skull. She clenched her fists. Two more times he stuck the needle under her skin. He pulled on it to tighten the thread before knotting it together and cutting the excess free. Crane dabbed it with the alcohol again.

"Okay. Finished." Crane announced.

"Bloody brilliant. Can I go to sleep now?" She asked, irritably.

"Well, you should probably stay awake for awhile to make sure you don't have a concussion." Crane told her.

"In case you didn't notice, I was asleep on the way here. So I'm pretty sure if I did have a concussion then I'd be in a coma already." She told him, an edge of hostility in her tone.

"Best to be sure anyway." Crane told her. "Ugh! Fine! I'll just take a shower." She said. "Okay. But try not to get the stitches wet." Crane replied.

"How will I wash my hair?!" She yelled. What bunch of crap. They weren't letting her do anything.

"Umm. Very carefully?" Crane said. "It shouldn't hurt your stitches to get them wet. Go ahead." Joker told her. Ann looked back and forth at the two men. "Actually, it could. If the stitches get wet the fibers will absorb water, causing them to weaken and possibly come out." Crane corrected. "That's just a bunch of nonsense all doctors tell you." Joker told her.

"Okay. Go ahead and listen to him. Just be prepared to have more stitches put in if those come out." Crane said sarcastically.

"Oh don't worry. If they do come out, I sure as hell won't tell either of you." She informed them, before grabbing her things and going upstairs.

Stomping to the bedroom, she shut the door behind her before placing her coat, rifle, and katana on the bed.

Ann went to her boxes and grabbed the shampoo and conditioner ashley had sent for her and headed to the adjoining bathroom.

She made sure the door was securely locked behind her. Though, it wouldn't stop a single person in this house from getting in if they wanted. She turned the shower on and adjusted the water till it was nearly scalding hot and the room began to get steamy.

Ann stripped off her bloody clothes and tossed them by the door before gingerly stepping into the shower and shutting the curtain.

The hot water was like heaven on her skin, washing all the dirt grime and blood from her body. It pooled in the bottom of the shower before swishing down the drain. Bracing herself, she let the shower fall over her head and hair. More blood and grime poured off her, mixing with the water at her feet. The water stung the wound on her head and she cursed quietly. Aside from the stinging it felt quite good.

Hoping it wouldn't burn, she lathered shampoo in her hands and massaged it into her scalp and hair. It wasn't a whole lot worse than the water had been. She rinsed it and repeated the process with the conditioner.

Satisfied that her hair was clean, she soaped up the rest of her body and rinsed herself before relaxing for awhile under the steady stream of hot water.

Testing her connection with Akira revealed she had calmed down significantly.

_Where did you learn to fight like that? It was very impressive._

Ann was hoping the small flattery would put her in the mood to talk.

**From a swordmaster I met after my village was destroyed. He showed me the way of the sword and helped me take revenge on my family's killers.**

_So, that's cool. You beat Batman really easy. I think you could even beat Joker._

**Joker is different. The first thing you need to understand is that all attacks are designed to kill your opponent quickly. Joker and Batman both know this. But they don't use their knowledge.**

_So I get why Batman doesn't. He doesn't believe in killing people. He thinks the judicial system should be the punisher. But Joker could have killed him hundreds of times by now because of that. Why hasn't he?_

**_I can't pretend to know his motives. But the easiest answer is for fun. If he killed Batman then there would be nothing left to fight against._ **

_Jeez. They're both bastards._

_Okay. So you don't think you could beat Joker? I mean, if he was really trying_.

**It's hard to say.**

Can you teach me to fight like that?

**Possibly. It takes time.**

Alright. Who's Ra's Al Ghul?

**It's a title. Passed on from one master to his student.**

So Bruce must have broke the cycle. Cause he's Batman. Not a Ghul.

**Yes. Traditionally, Ra's Al Ghul is the figurehead of the League of Assassins. It's an underground society that operates in espionage and assassinations. Their ultimate goal is to bring about an Eden like state on earth.**

Okay. So how did you know Bruce had been trained by them?

**His fighting style and technique match what I've seen from them in the past.**

So you figured out all this just by watching him fight? Couldn't someone else have known this technique?

**I suppose it's possible. It has been a very long time. But his technique coupled with his espionage training and knack for being undetected all point to them.**

**You should get out of the shower now. The water is cold.**

"Oh."

_I guess it is._

She had been so engrossed in their conversation she hadn't even noticed.

_Can we talk about this again later?_

**I suggest you talk to your friend Crane. He would know more about their current affairs**.

_Crane? How would Crane know anything about them?_

**Where do you think he gets his nerve gas?**

Ann turned off the shower and stepped out onto the cold tile of the bathroom floor. She grabbed a towel and dryed herself before wrapping it around her body.

"Damn it." She had forgotten to bring in clean clothes. She'd bet her life savings Joker would be waiting for her in the next room. Sighing, she decided to get it over with. Unlocking the door she peeked out. Sure enough. There he was lounging on the bed.

He looked up as she walked into the room. "Feel better?" He asked. She nodded. "Lots."

Instead of finding clothes, she laid on the bed next to him. She still had the towel. And it wasn't like he'd never seen her naked anyway. She just didn't have the energy to stay standing at the moment.

"So I suppose you wanna talk about what happened." She said. He shrugged. "When your ready." He replied. She looked at him skeptically. "Really?" She asked. "No questions?" He smiled at her. "Oh I have plenty of questions. But its not important." He told her. This made her smile. "Okay. Well, I am kind of hungry." She told him. "There's pizza downstairs."

"Pizza? How long was I in the shower?" She asked. "Long enough for Devon to go get pizza." He replied. She rolled her eyes. "Okay. Thanks."

She got up and found her underwear box. Eventually she would have to think about unpacking her clothes.

Joker watched her intently while she was dressing. She had a feeling he'd be making a move later. After she was dressed they went downstairs to the kitchen. Ann had almost forgotten they had Dr Pepper now. She grabbed one and gratefully sipped at it, letting the fizz tickle her mouth before sitting at the table.

Joker grabbed some pizza and put it on a plate for her before heating it up in the microwave. He was practically waiting on her hand and foot ever since the fight with Batman. She wasn't about to protest either.

The microwave beeped and he brought her the pizza and sat down beside her. She started eating her pizza. She hadn't realized how hungry she had been. But she hadn't eaten anything all day.

There was a clatter as the others came in through the back door in the kitchen. They had all been outside. And several of them wreaked of smoke. Smoke break, she realized. Connor Devon and Crane must have gone out of boredom.

Crane sat down at the table. "How's your head feeling?" He asked. She finished chewing a bite of pizza. "Better." She mumbled before taking another bite. She wanted so badly to ask him about the League of Assassins. But she wanted the conversation to be private. She would have to wait for the right opportunity.

"Turn so I can check your stitches?" He asked. Ann rolled her eyes before doing what he asked. He lifted her damp hair to examine her wound. "They look intact. And it's not bleeding anymore." Ann flipped her hair away and turned back to her pizza.

Going over what happened when Akira took over, Ann realized that several things were different than normal. Usually she'd be passed out by now because of drinking so much alcohol in an effort to rid herself of the headache. But she was beginning to suspect there would have been no headache at all if not for Batman clonking her.

Another thing to consider, normally when Akira took over Ann would black out and be completely oblivious to what was going on. But she was able to see what was happening and feel her senses this time.

Normally, Ann would have to be unconscious for Akira to take control because if Ann was awake she could fight her back mentally. So that explained why she was able to watch this time. She hadn't been unconscious when Akira took over. But she had been very near it.

Logically it could mean one of two things. Either she was getting better at controlling their link, or Akira was getting stronger.

"Ann."

"Huh?" She asked, looking up at Joker. "Crane asked if you had had any dizziness while in the shower."

"Oh. No, I didn't." She told them.

"Uh huh." Crane looked at her skeptically. "Well then you should be okay." He said slowly.

"Thanks." She had told him she was fine hours ago.

Right now, all she really wanted to do was sleep and recover some of her energy.

"So does that mean I can sleep now?" She asked, slightly irritated at still being awake. Joker nodded.

"Okay. That's what I'm doing then." She told them and got up from the table.

"You don't want to watch our spectacular news coverage?" Crane asked. She was about to ask why the hell she would want to do that.

"It's kind of a tradition with us criminals." Crane explained. "If were successful in whatever were doing, once were safe we all sit around and watch the media go nuts."

"Oh." Ann said, not really knowing what else to say.

"How bout it?" Joker asked.

She sighed. "I guess I can sleep when I'm dead."

As a group they all went into the living room and turned on the TV. News reports of their bank robbery and insane police chase were on every channel. Ann snuggled in on the couch next to Joker to watch.

There was quite a bit of footage of the chase that had been taken from the helicopter. Apparently the helicopter had been streaming the footage back to people on the ground while it was following them.

After a few minutes Bear showed up with a case of beer. Everyone cheered him, both for his awesome chopper take down and bringing the booze. He told her it was nice to see her again. She thanked him and he joined the group to watch.

Bozo grabbed a beer and handed it to her. She normally didn't drink beer. She had never liked the taste. But she realized it was a sign of respect. He had accepted her in their group and was trying to find a way to show her. So she happily thanked him and took the beer. They all toasted each other.

Ann finished her beer quickly so she wouldn't have to hold it and make herself drink it. She tossed the can in a nearby trash bin before leaning back to relax.

They all laughed and taunted the police on the tv. They would all boo every time it showed Batman. It was very entertaining.

After awhile Ann began to catch herself drifting off to sleep. So she excused herself and said good night. Everyone smiled and waived at her as she ascended the stairs. Joker followed close behind.

She wasn't sure what that feeling was. The feeling she had while joking and laughing with them and when they waived good night to her. Was it friendship. Comrads in arms? It almost felt like family.

They had all been through a lot together. It had obviously brought them closer. It was something to think about, anyway.

Ann undressed and climbed in to bed. Joker flicked off the lights and was beside her a few moments later. She wasn't sure she had the energy for sex. She was exhausted.

Going over the list, she had been shot at, rode in a vibrating van, hit upside the head, had her body stolen for a bit, fought with Batman, had to have stitches. But, more importantly, she had got some information. Some information that could be very valuable in the future. And she got her katana and some of her more important things back.

She was still expecting Joker to make a move. He had been really nice to her lately. And especially today. So she decided, despite her exhaustion, she would humor him if he made a move.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against him. He nuzzled her neck and got comfortable. Any second now.

A minute went by and nothing happened. She twisted a bit to look at him. His eyes were closed and he was breathing softly. Was he seriously asleep?

Awe.

She wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved. But it was sweet, she thought. He was either so tired he crashed, or he knew she had a long day. She shrugged it off. She was sure tomorrow would be just as long. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and rolled back over. Soon, she was sleeping just as soundly as he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always welcome! I'd love to hear what you guys think. :-)


	18. Chapter 18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ann's head was fuzzy as she woke. A slow steady throb at the back of her head reminded her of the events the night before. Reaching up, she ran a finger along the stitched up cut on her head. Wincing, she cursed mentally. It was still very tender.

Joker was still asleep next to her. He was snoring softly. She was surprised she woke up first. That usually never happened. She contemplated going back to sleep. But decided against it.

Hopefully waking up early would giver her a chance to talk to Crane. She got up slowly so not to wake Joker before grabbing some clothes and going into the bathroom to change. She made one addition to her wardrobe today. The shoulder harness for her guns.

Joker was still asleep when she came out of the bathroom. And her guns were still in her coat where she had shoved them the night before. She picked up her coat and a box of ammo before quietly heading out the door.

Once she was downstairs she could smell coffee and hear it brewing in the kitchen. So that's where she headed. Crane and Connor were sitting at the table exchanging small talk.

"Hey," Connor said when he noticed her "how you feeling today?" He asked. "Okay. Better than yesterday." She told him. "How's your stitches?" Crane asked. "Tender. And my head is still achy. But not bad." She told him. She opened the fridge and retrieved a dr pepper. Sitting at the table with them, she pulled out her ammo and sat it on the table in front of her.

"What's that for?" Connor asked. She pulled her 380 pistols out and sat them down. "These." She said, pulling the clips from them and opening the ammo box.

"New toys?" Crane asked. She shook her head. "I've had these. The pistols I normally wear were taken by the cops. So these are my backups." She explained.

"You going to wear that sword I saw you carrying too?" Crane asked. The thought had never occurred to her. "You can do that?" She asked. "Honey, you can do whatever you want to. Your a criminal now. One of us." Crane told her. "I meant, would it be practical?" She corrected herself. "Everyone shoots at us. A katana wouldn't do much good there."

"Good point. But just think how bad ass you'll look with that thing strapped to your hip." Connor put in.

She supposed her katana would come in handy if she had to fight Batman. But she was much better at martial combat without it. She would have to get better with her katana for it to be an asset.

"I'd need to practice with it. I'm better at fighting without it." She said, thinking out loud.

"Not from what we heard last night." Connor grinned. Crane elbowed him and he oofed.

"What do you mean?" She asked. "Joker said you whipped the shit out of Batman with it last night." Connor continued, scooting farther away from Crane.

He would have to go and blab about it. "Well, that. That wasn't exactly feasible." She tried to explain without explaining that it hadn't really been her.

"He said you blacked out after he hit you and went into a rage." Connor told her.

Phew. At least he had made a loop hole for explaining it. "Yeah. I don't really know how I did it." She confessed.

"Perhaps the ability is there. But you lack confidence in using it. That would explain why you were suddenly so good while you weren't consciously rational." Crane explained.

Lord. He was using his psycho babble on her.

The idea would have made a lot of sense. If she didn't have a crazy samurai princess living in her head.

She wanted desperately to talk to Crane before Joker got up. She had a feeling she was running out of time. She didn't have time to wait till Connor left. She would just have to trust him to keep his mouth shut. He probably wouldn't know what they were talking about anyway. She made her decision.

Ann started loading one of her guns magazine with ammo. "So Scarecrow, I heard an interesting name last night." She was baiting him. "Thought you may have hear of it."

"Oh?" He asked, his curiosity peaking through.

"You ever hear of a guy named Ra's Al Ghul?" She asked. She kept her eyes focused on her reloading, but watched him in her perefferal vision.

He stiffened and was silent for a moment. "That certainly is an interesting name." He replied carefully. "Sad to say, I've never run across it before."

She looked up from her reloading to fix a stare at him. "Think again. Maybe a bit harder."

 **Don't threaten him or he'll retreat**.

Connor was looking confused between them.

"Okay. How much do you know?" Crane asked. Looks like her subtle call out on his lie had worked.

"I know he's the figurehead of a powerful organization. And I know that's where you got the formula for you nerve gas." She told him. "And I want to know more."

No need telling him everything she knew just yet.

"Did Joker tell you this?" He asked, leaning back and looking a bit annoyed. She shook her head.

"I didn't know he knew anything about it." So Joker was at least aware of them.

"Okay. What do you want to know?" He said, visibly relaxing. Wow, he must really not trust Joker.

"Is the current figure head still alive?" She asked. Crane nodded.

"I havent had contact with them in quite some time, since being locked up. But he was when we were still doing business. Although, many who knew him thought he had died." Crane told her.

"Was he the one in charge of the ninjas when you gassed the city?" She asked, remembering a mention of ninjas the night before. Crane nodded.

 **Ask him where their headquarters are located**.

"Where is their base of operations?" She asked. "Japan." He replied.

"Where in Japan?" She wanted more specific answers.

"Why would you want to know that? Planning on paying them a visit?" He asked slyly.

"Or I might I want to avoid them." She countered. "Right now, I just want information."

"Information can be expensive..." He trailed off. He wanted something in return.

"How expensive?"

"Revealing their secrets puts a heavy target on me. They won't like that I've told you anything at all. So we'll say, a million dollars."

"A million dollars? That's what you want?" She asked, not really believing he was serious.

"That would be enough money to restart my operation, fund the equipment I need to continue my research, provide materials, and hire help." He explained.

"I hope that help would include a few body guards." She mumbled. "I'll offer a quarter a million." She told him.

His eyes narrowed. "Seven hundred and fifty thousand."

"Four hundred thousand."

"Six."

"Meet me in the middle." She said. "A half million?" He asked. Ann nodded.

"Alright." He extended his hand for them to shake on it. "But you spill everything. Every question I might have and anything you know." She clarified the terms. He nodded. "Anything you want." He agreed. She shook his hand.

Crane stood and walked across the room to pour himself some of the freshly brewed coffee.

"Why do I feel like you just made a deal with the devil?" Connor asked. She had almost forgot he was there. Had she really just bargained away half a million dollars?

She glared at him "Not a word to anyone about this. Understand?" She told him, pointing a finger at his face.

"Of course." He said. "Not a word. Promise." She nodded before going back to loadingng her guns.

When she was finished, she chambered a round in each one and put the safety on both of them before holstering them in her harness. The guns added a small weight to her shoulders. But it was comfortable.

She rotated her arms, checking that her range of motion was still normal with them there. Satisfied, she closed the ammo box.

She was about to go put it back in her room when Joker walked in. His makeup was fresh like usual. She made a mental note to wait for him the next day so she could watch him put it on.

"Looks like your up bright and early." He commented. She nodded. "Good. We've got things to do today." He told her.

"Like what?" She asked. "We're going to visit an arms dealer." He told her. "Good." She told him. "Maybe we can get a rocket launcher." She said sarcastically. "Would have come in handy last night."

"What we really need is to avoid the alarms all together." He replied, ignoring her sarcasm. "Someone needs to get in touch with Hackman."

"Did Bear stay the night?" Ann asked Connor and Crane. "No." Crane replied. "He went home."

Bozo and Wacko walked into the kitchen. Bozo yawned. "What's for breakfast?" He asked Ann. She gave him a crazy look. "Why are you asking me?" She asked.

He looked confused. "Well, I thought having a woman around we might get to eat a nice meal once in awhile." He said.

"What, you want me to cook?" She asked, slightly angered. He nodded. "Your a woman aren't you?"

"Not that kind of woman! Sexist ass, any one of you in this room can cook as well as I can." She yelled, angry at his assumption.

"Oh come on. All women can cook. You take classes for it in school and everything." He argued.

She leaned forward to glare at him. "The last place on earth I'd ever want to be is in a cooking class."

"I'm sure you mom taught you how to cook." He continued.

"My mother disappeared when I was two months old." She said, beginning to tire of him. "Try again."

"Okay. Okay. No need to get pissy. You can learn to cook, right?"

She would have given her left hand for something heavy to throw at him. "Here's a piece of advice. If you want a home cooked meal, learn to cook yourself."

He pouted and went to pour himself some coffee.

Joker, who had been silent durring the encounter, spoke up. "Anyway. Now that he's got you good and pissed off. Let's go see a guy about some guns."

Ann shot a glare at Bozo before following Joker who was now leaving. She followed him outside. Joker tossed her a set of car keys. Her car keys, she realized. Looking up, she saw her Camaro was parked in the yard.

"But Devon went home, didn't he?" She asked.

"He got a ride with Bear." Joker explained.

"So where are we going?" She asked, getting in the driver seat. "The Grey Goose." He told her.

"The Grey Goose? Is that a bar?" She asked, starting the cars engine and pulling out onto the road.

"It's a dance club." He answered. "Okay. Where is it?" She asked. "Down town."

She headed the car in the direction of the city. It was silent for a few minutes.

"So I have a question." She told him. He looked at her, giving her his full attention.

"So, I'd like to wear my katana as a back up weapon." She told him. "What do you think?"

"So wear it. Can't hurt any." He told her.

"I mean. Okay, so you know that wasn't me last night. My hand to hand skills are far better than my swordsmanship."

"Only way to change that is to practice." He commented. "What better way to practice, then when you need it the most."

"That's what I'm kind of getting at. Would you mind sparring with me in your free time?" This actually seemed to make him happy.

"I'd be glad to."

They were coming into the city now. Downtown was still a good distance away though. It was nice to be driving her car again. She was beginning to feel jealous of Devon. The steady purr of the engine felt like music to her ears.

 _Okay. So I'm counting on you to help me train_.

 **You just asked Joker to do the same thing. We can't both train you**.

 _I asked him to spar with me. I'm asking you to train me_.

**I'll see what I can do.**

She was slightly worried about being recognized. How many people owned a fully restored black and red 1969 Camaro? It was kind of easy to identify. But then again, she reminded herself, this car technically belonged to Misa now.

"So I have another question." She told him. Curiosity had gotten the better of her. She wanted to know what he knew

"Okay." He replied.

"Can you tell me about the League of Shadows?" She asked. He frowned. "What do you want to know?" Odd, that was the same thing Crane had said.

"I dunno. Anything?" She said, not really having any specific questions yet.

"It's a group of assassins, Ninja mostly. They go around trying to rid the world of evil." He said distastefully.

"Have you delt with them before?" She asked.

"Some."

"Did you meet them in Japan?" 

"Yes."

 **He's not giving anything up. Be more specific.**  

"Did you know they were connected with Batman?" She asked, hoping that would catch him off guard.

He leaned his head over to glance at her with a smirk. "Looks like the lady upstairs has been talking." He teased. 

_So that was a yes._

Realization dawned on her. She asked the fatal question. "They hired you to kill him." She said quietly.

"No."

_No? Not to kill him? Then why...._

"Turn right." He said suddenly. Jumping, she cut across two lanes to make the turn lane in time, earning a honk from someone she cut off. She immediately regretted not asking for directions earlier.

"Anymore surprise turns coming up?" She asked, trying to not let her annoyance show through. "Not yet." He told her vaguely with a grin. He was misdirecting her, trying to avoid the conversation. 

Rolling her eyes, she prepared herself and kept her attention sharp. She stayed in the middle lane as they drove so she could switch lanes either way at a moments notice.

A few minutes went by and she was beginning to think he had only been teasing her. Then, "Turn right."

Cursing, she swerved over just barely in time to turn. More honks from behind her. She had nearly taken out that last car. She glared at him. "How bout a few minutes warning next time!" She yelled.

 "What do I do best, love?" He asked, waiting for her to put it together. 

"You create chaos!" She screamed at him, frustrated by his vague answers and last second directions. 

She put the pieces together. He hadn't been sent to kill batman. He was here to fuck everything up. To fuck Batman up. Physically and mentally. 

"Turn right."

"Shit!" She yelled, slamming her breaks and turning, even though she was in the middle of the intersection already.

She had only just began regaining her composure when he nudged her with his elbow, catching her completely off guard. "What?" She snapped at him. He smiled at her. "Turn right."

They were already halfway through the intersection.

She had had enough. She grabbed the e brake and floored it, cutting a sharp left and effectively spinning the car in a loop that ended with them pointing the direction he had told her to go.

"Fine. You wanna be difficult? Fine." She mumbled at him. He wanted her to drive like a maniac? She could do that.

A realization dawned on her. They were on the same road they had started on. He had basically just directed her into a big circle.

"What the hell was the point of that?" She asked, frustrated.

"Entertainment." He replied.

"Pull in that parking lot." He told her, pointing to their left. Grumbling to herself, she pulled off the road where he had instructed.

She found a spot to park and they got out of the car. The parking lot led to a large two story building with a big neon sign ubove the doors. It said Gray Goose. And it had naked girls in neon on either side.

She threw a glare at Joker. " You said it was a dance club." She said, grinding her teeth at him. He shrugged. "You never asked what kind of dancing."

"I'm not going in there." She said stubbornly.

"Hey, you wanna meet the contact, or not?" He asked.

"Why the hell do we have to meet hi m here?" She asked, annoyed and a bit pissed off.

"You need to learn how to survive in this lifestyle, lil Shadow." He admonished. "This is where our contact wants to meet. So this is where were going to meet him."

She sneered in distaste. But he was right, she concluded.

Without a word she followed him towards the bright flashing lights of the strip club. As they got closer, she could hear the thumping bass music coming from inside. She was not happy about this. But, realizing that he was trying to teach her something, she followed him inside anyway.

Once through the door, her senses were assaulted in every way imaginable. The dark room coupled with the bright pulsating lights made it nearly impossible to get a clear view for more than a moment at a time. That alone nearly gave her a headache. But then there was the smell. It wreaked of sweat and and overbearing ammount of perfume. She nearly covered her nose in disgust, but somehow managed to keep her composure. The air was thick and heavy and it was unusually warm.

Once her eyes adjusted to the area she began to get a lay of the place. They were on the other side of a chain link fence that barred them from the rest of the room. A ticket booth sat by the only entrance.

On the other side of the fence she could see a bar, stocked with every liquor imaginable. In the center of the room were rows of tables and chairs, all facing to her left. A wall blocked what she assumed to be the stage, to keep people from watching the show without paying.

Joker strode straight past the bouncers guarding the only entrance past the ticket booth. Neither of them even spared him a glance, much less try to stop him.

Nervous, she made to follow. Just as she was passing the bouncers, one reached out to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey girlie. You pay like everyone else." He told her.

She didn't even have time to respond, a moment later Joker was behind the man who looked visibly shaken. "Remove your hand or I'll do it for you."

"S s sorry." The bouncer stammered, letting her go.

Joker whirled and walked away. She quickly followed him.

Once past the fence, the smell of sweat and perfume got even worse. The stage came into view. A blonde babe in a lacy pair of underware was on the stage dancing to the pulsating music. Her bra came off and Ann averted her eyes.

Men crowded around the stage, throwing her dollar bills and cat calls as she shook her baloon-like boobs in their faces.

Other people sat at the tables and enjoyed drinks. Some of them were getting lap dances from other girls in scanty clothing.

Ann, now thoroughly disgusted, followed Joker to the back of the room near the bar. The bartender nodded at him out of respect and reached under the bar. A moment later a hidden door beside the bar swung open. There had been no evidence the door was there before. It blended seamlessly into the wall.

Joker slipped inside and Ann followed quickly. The moment she was through the door swung shut behind her to become part of the wall again.

They were in a dark hallway that ran parallel to the long room they had just been in. The air smelt much cleaner here and the music was muffled. Ann breathed a sigh of relief.

Joker led her down the long hallway and to the end, where it curved and opened up into a large room.

There was a smaller bar near them in one wall. The rest of the room was made up of gambling tables. There was a roulette table, a craps table, and several card tables were people sat and played different variations of poker.

There were ordinary tables set up all along the walls where people could sit and enjoy a smoke or a drink.

The room wasn't necessarily crowded. But there was a fair ammount of people. And they were all looking at her.

"Jay!" The bartender exclaimed. "I wondered when you'd be paying us a visit." Joker nodded at him in return. The rest of the people in the room were still casting wary or intrigued looks her way.

"You want the usual to drink?" The chipper bartender asked.

"Two." Joker told him. The bartender nodded and Joker walked around to the back of the room, oblivious to the looks Ann was receiving. She quickly followed him.

They sat at an unoccupied table and waited for their drinks. After a minute, the excitement of their arrival began to die down and people went back to their gambling.

It wasn't long before the bartender showed up with the drinks. He sat two shot glasses in front of them and gave them a bottle of tequila, accompanied by a bowl of limes and salt.

"You sure know how to party." Ann mumbled sarcastically, watching Joker pour the tequilla. Ann was interested in the drink. She had taken tequilla shots before. But never with real limes. Always with lemon juice. The idea was, the salt and limes or juice were supposed to take the burning away after you took a shot.

"You might wanna move over here." Joker told her, cryptically. She frowned. She had sat across the table from him. Then she realized the person they were meeting was going to sit somewhere too. And the chances of them sitting on the side away from Joker were pretty high. She jumpped up and took a seat by Joker on the other side.

Not a moment too soon. Seconds after she moved someone took the seat she had been in. Looking up, she was suddenly startled. The man across from her only had half a face! It took everything she had not to look shocked or surprised. She focused on Joker instead.

Joker looked less than pleased. "Who's the new plaything?" The man asked Joker. Anger welled up inside her. She was reminded of the night she killed Maroni's brother in anger at him saying something similar. She had come a long way, and managed to keep her mouth shut.

"Is there something you need from me, Two Face?" Joker asked, obviously not wanting him there. Ann was a bit shocked at the insult he had thrown at the man. That was when she realized he wasn't the person they had come here to see.

But he didn't seem phased by the jab at his face. He laughed and took a drink from the whiskey glass he was holding. Whiskey leaked from his face and down his chin. He wiped it away. Ann dared to get a better look at him. There was something very familiar about the man. And she couldn't quite place it.

"We're just curious." The man explained. "You've never brought a girl with you before." He leaned forward across the table. "So who is she?" He asked.

"Well you could just ask me my name." Ann commented, a bit annoyed at being talked about like she couldn't speak for herself.

"My apologies." He told her.

"Don't indulge him." Joker instructed her.

She idly wondered if that was why he seemed annoyed at the man's presence. If he annoyed Joker, then it might be fun to have him around. She extended her hand across the table for him to shake. "I'm Shadow."

He shook her hand, an excited gleam in his eyes. "People call me Two Face. But you can have the pleasure of calling me Harvey."

Joker rolled his eyes.

Wait. Harvey?

Realization dawned on her. "Your Harvey Dent!" She exclaimed. Misa's old boss, the former district attorney who was supposed to be dead.

Joker and Harvey both winced at her exclaimation of discovery.

"That's me." Harvey said, apparently a bit put off by her recognising him.

"Hey, your supposed to be dead. What happened?" She asked. The men exchanged a look. "I'm afraid that's a story for another time." Harvey told her.

This wasn't right. The media all said he was dead. There was a bill named after him that kept all the mafia prisoners locked up. The news said Batman killed him. She knew that had been bull shit!

The prisoners!

If Harvey Dent was in a place like this, where everyone was obviously a criminal, logic told her he was a criminal too. The only thing that could possibly explain why he was here instead of dead. Either the elected officials didn't know he was alive, or they did know and were keeping it secret so the prisoners wouldn't be set free.

"Shadow and I have business to discuss..." Joker told him. It was a fairly obvious hint. Harvey clearly got the message.

"Ah. Nice to meet you, Shadow." He said, giving her a small smile. She nodded at him and he left them in peace.

"That was Harvey Dent." Ann whispered to Joker as soon as he was gone. He only nodded and slid her a neglected shot glass full of tequilla. She took a shot and bit into a lime wedges, ignoring the salt. She tried not to let her face contort because of the sour sting in her mouth.

"Do you know anything about that." She asked, once she trusted herself to speak again. "Dent, I mean."

"I know a lot about Dent. Did you know he used to be the district attorney?" He asked. She glared at him.

"You know I knew that. He used to be Misa's boss." She said quietly, annoyed. "Come on. The Dent act. The media claiming Batman killed him. All those prisoners locked away in his name. What's going on?"

He gave her a level look. "I'm sure you've already figured it out." He said icily.

"Okay. Just answer one thing. Does anyone know he's alive?" She asked him. He laughed quietly. "Sure. At least two people. You and me." She ground her teeth.

"Your no help at all." She accused him. He shrugged. "Maybe if you asked the right questions.."

She sat back and thought a minute. "Do the city officials know he's alive, and don't say anything to keep the prisoners in jail?" She tried to make the question as specific as possible.

"Yes."

"So why haven't they arrested him and locked him away?" She asked, more to herself.

"They can't. Not without everyone finding out they lied and broke the law." He explained. "Thus freeing all the prisoners." He said with a smirk.

"Okay. So why hasn't Dent gone public?" She asked.

"As far as I can guess, he just wants to be left alone." Joker told her.

"I wanted to see how far it would go before they broke their own rules. Dent is walking proof, not only did they break them, they framed someone else for doing what Dent did, so they could keep some measure of controll. There's a lesson there, Shadow. Everyone has a breaking point."

Ann took another shot of tequilla and bit the lime. Then she sat back to think over what he had said. She remembered little of Dents involvement durring the chaos Joker had created before she completely got him sidetracked.

She remembered Joker going after him because of being the DA. And then Dent had said he was Batman. So Joker came for him then too. That was the night the semi had flipped and Joker got himself caught on purpose. That was also the night she had her first personal encounter with Batman. An incident that had caused him to recognize her later when she and Joker had gone different ways.

"When is this guy going to get here anyway? " she asked after a few minutes. She was beginning to get impatient. "He should be here soon." Joker told her.

It felt like an hour had gone by. Ann had taken to people watching out of boredom. Several times she noticed Dent watching her from across the room. She did her best to ignore it, but it struck her as creepy. She had long since realized he talked to them because of her, not because he wanted to pester Joker. Either she intrigued him, because of Joker bribing her to the club, or he recognized her as Misa's friend. She wasn't really sure which.

Joker nudged her, bringing her out of her thoughts and she scanned their immediate area. She caught sight of a man in a long brown coat just as he made his way over to them.

The man sat silently across from them. "Who's the girl?" He asked Joker. Ann had a very hard time keeping her temper. She was annoyed everyone seemed so interested in her.

"My partner, Shadow." Joker told the man. She glanced at him, The implications of what he just said hitting her. She was his partner. She smiled to herself.

"Shadow, this is March." Joker told her. She told him hello. "Nice to meet ya." March said before returning his attention to Joker. "So, you want the usual order?" He asked. "With a few extras." Joker clarified.

"That'll cost extra…" March warned, looking pleased. Joker only nodded. "So what is it you want?"

"Extra explosives and launchers, a mini gun, three crates of modified m4s with the launcher attachment, and extra ammo. Plus whatever she wants." Joker nodded in her direction, indicating it was her turn. She was surprised, he had just given her free reign to pick any weapons she wanted. She thought for a moment.

"I want a Dragunov SVD with the telescopic sights. And a pistol grip shot gun with modified plug. And ammo." She told him.

If Joker was surprised by her choice, he didn't show it. But he was smirking. March leaned over the table to give her a level look. "Lil lady, you know what your asking for?" He asked.

She leaned forward like he had to meet his gaze. "I know exactly what I'm asking for. The Dragunov was developed in 1963 by a man named Evgany Dragunov for the soviet Unions armed forces. It's has a muzzle velocity of 2,723 feet per second. It's gas operated with a rotating bolt and shoots 7.62 by 54 mmr." She told him. Jokers smirk had grown. March looked incredibly impressed with her knowledge of the weapon.

"The rifle won't be a problem. But I'm sure you know, the 7.62 rounds won't be easy to come by for just anyone. And you certainly won't find them in your average pawn shop."

Ann smiled at the man. "Guess that means I'll be a repeat customer." March grinned.

Their business concluded, Ann and Joker left the strip club and returned to her car. "So, now what?" She asked, starting the engine. He shrugged. "You mentioned needing clothes."

She gave him a sideways look. Was her really wanting to go shopping? How unusual. "Are you seriously talking about taking me shoping?" She asked, echoing her thoughts. "I thought guys hated that kind of thing."

He smirked at her. "You've never been shopping my way before."

Ten minutes later Ann parked the car on the curb outside one of the city's fancy and expensive clothing stores.

"Are you sure you know what your doing?" Ann asked. He pulled out one of his machine pistols and took the safety off. "Just follow my lead and act like you own the place. Cause you kinda do." He told her before getting out of the car.

Ann sighed and followed him.

He kicked the door open and it banged against the wall. He shot of a few rounds from his pistol. Shrieks and screams pierced the air. He brandished his pistol at the few women in the store. There were six people there. Four customers and two employees. Joker gathered them together and made them face a wall with their hands on it. While Ann locked the doors and flipped the sign to show the business was closed.

"You." He pointed at one of the employees. "My lady friends wants to look nice. Help her find something she likes." The woman nodded vigorously before running after Ann, who had begun browsing the aisles.

"I can help you find anything you need." The woman told her quietly. Ann glanced at the woman. "What's your name?"

The woman looked Co fused a moment. "Madison." She replied shakily. "Okay, Madison. I want something dark. Sexy but elegant. And it needs to be durable." Ann told her. Madison nodded and ran off to begin pulling clothing off shelves and hangers. Ann kept her in sight while still browsing the clothing racks.

A few minutes later Madison returned with clothes draped over her arms. Ann nodded and they walked to a changing area.

Ann laid out all the clothes Madison collected. She discarded several right from the start. The majority of it was fancy stuff that Ann found distasteful. Hardly the type of practical things she would wear while fighting Batman or the police.

She did find one top that she liked. It was a black half sleeve made of a stretchy elastic like material. It had a red shimmer when the light caught it just right. It was short, designed to show off the wearers stomach. Ann immediately thought of the trashy high school girls that wore cut off t shirts. She almost put it back, but she liked it so much she decided to try it on.

She began waffling to the changing area when Madison ran up to get holding a matching pair of leggings. Ann smirked and thanked her before going to the changing room.

She noticed Madison was hovering near the door to the changing room. Probably preferring her company to Jokers.

When she finished changing she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked sleek and confident. And incredibly sexy. Nothing like those trashy girls in high school. Happy with her choice, she out her guns, boots, and coat back on before exciting the room. She left her old clothes where they were, intent on wearing the new ones instead.

She returned to Madison. "I like these." The woman beamed at having chosen something desirable. She ran around the store collecting everything made by the same designer.

Ann chose another black and red exactly like the one she wore and tow more, one with purple shimmer and one with green.

"Do you have any leather boots?" She asked the woman. Madison nodded and brought back several styles of boots for her to try on. Three of them were a no. The heels on them were much too tall. She was drawn to a pair of western style boots that came up to her calves. There were leather straps going around the ankle of the boot and under it, held together by a metal ring. She liked these and tried them on, deciding to keep them.

The other pair of boots Ann liked were plain leather that zipped up to just below her knee and had a modest heel.

"Thanks for all your help, Madison. And sorry about this. He's trying to impress me." Ann told the woman. Madison laughed. "Men are all the same, hun. Just don't let him shoot me." Ann laughed at her comment before returning to Joker at the front of the store.

The look Joker threw her way wasn't wasted on her. She could tell he liked her new clothes. "I'm finished." She told him, smirking at the way he didn't seem to want to look away from her.

He dropped a stack of hundreds on the counter and they left the store.

Once back in the car Ann started the engine and pulled back into traffic, putting some distance between them and the store. Someone would surely be calling the police by now.

"So, now what?" She asked, half expecting him to take her to another store. "Just one more stop. Then we can head back." He explained.

Joker directed her to a different part of the downtown area. Once they were close, he had her pull into a back alley loading area. She parked the car where he indicated and followed him when he got out.

"What is this place?" She asked skeptically. "A secret." He told her cryptically. She rolled her eyes and followed him as he entered a door at the back of one of the shops.

Inside the store it was dark, until Joker flipped a light switch. The room looked like a storage area. The walls were filled with shelves containing all sorts of fabrics and sewing equipment. Joker dinged a bell that was on a counter to their right. A few moments later a sharply dressed man entered from the other side of the room. "Ah. Mister Joker, I was wondering when you'd pay me a visit." The man commented. "Come for another order?" He asked.

Joker nodded. "And a new commission." He told the man.

Is this where he gets his suits?

Looks that way.

The man beamed. "A new commission?!" He asked excitedly. "Would it be for the lovely lady?"

Instead of answering his question Joker shoved her forward towards the man. The man, Ann could only guess was some type of tailor, took her hand and led her to another room. She looked back at Joker to see he was following.

The tailor directed her to stand on a pedestal and take her shoes off. He then began taking her measurements. He measured her from hip to the bottom of her heel, around her leg in several spots, around her waste and hips, from the base of her neck down her back, around her neck, around her bust line, from shoulder to shoulder, around her arm in several places, from her armpit to wrist and from shoulder to wrist.

By the time he was finished Ann was glaring at Joker, who had found a spot to lean against a wall.

"What did you have in mind, mister Joker?" the man asked. Ann glared at the two of them. He was making a commission for her, should he be asking her what she wanted?

"A coat. Similar to mine but made the way she wants it." Joker told him. Ann smiled. And here she thought he was going to pick something for her.

The man directed her to a catalog style magazine that was full of different long coat designs. It had everything from twin tailed tuxedos to the simple trench coat. And everything in between. She couldn't tell the difference between some of the different styles. She assumed some difference in the way they were crafted was the case with many of them.

After flipping through the catalog for some time she found one that she liked. She pointed to it and the man praised her for her choice, stating she had a very fine taste. He probably would have said that no matter what she chose.

He then led her to an assortment of fabrics and let her examine samples of each one. She found several leather swatches that she liked. They were all genuine leather. Some soft and pliable and others thick and durable. She selected one that was somewhere between the soft and the thickest one. She wanted the material to be stiff, so as to protect her from falls and the various scrapes she acquired on a daily basis when she was in a hurry on foot. But she wanted it to be flexible enough to give her a free range of movement.

The tailor complimented her on her choice again before doing some basic calculations on a nearby note pad. Joker had wandered over to look at what she had chosen.

"I shall make it my first priority. It should be finished in three days." He told Joker, handing him the paper her had done the calculations on. Ann glanced over his shoulder to look at the price as Joker pulled another stack of hundreds out of his pocket to hand the tailor. Ann was shocked at the cost of her coat. But she was more shocked at the amount Joker had given the man. He had over paid. A lot.

They left the tailors store the way they had come in and headed back to her car. Ann could hardly believe they hadn't had a single encounter with Batman or the police. They had been in the city most of the afternoon. It was strange than nothing had happened yet. It was almost like a normal outing with a normal person. Ann decided to be particularly watchful. The clothing store had surely called the police. So they had to be looking for them by now.

Just when they were driving close to the edge if town a chirpy ringing sound came from her pocket. Joker gave her a strange look as she pulled the doctors phone out of her pocket. Someone was calling from an unknown number. She answered it hesitantly.

"Hey. Just wanted you to know I'm having the phone shut off today to get a new one." The doctor told her from the other end of the phone.

"Oh. Okay. Well you don't have to do that. I could just give it back. It's not damaged or anything." Ann replied.

"Oh. Well, I guess that'll be fine. Are you busy right now? We could meet somewhere." The doctor told her. "No. We're not busy. Where do you want to meet at?"

"We? Is he going to be with you?!" the doctor asked. She sounded excited. Ann glared at nothing in particular. "Hey! What'd I say about that stalker shit?!" Ann griped.

"Sorry. Okay. Can you meet me at Central park?" Ann agreed and hung up before turning the car around.

"So I see you made a new friend." Joker said teasing her. She scoffed. "Hardly. Creepy ass bitch." Ann said more to herself.

At Jokers confused look Ann explained. "She's the one I borrowed the phone from. I told her I'd give it back."

He still looked a bit confused. Probably wondering who in their right mind would have lender their phone to an escaping g criminal in a psych ward.

Ann sighed. "It's that blonde doctor who was always in the rec room." She told him. "Why would she lend you her phone? This could be a trap." He warned her.

"Just trust me, okay. It's not a trap. She's kinda nuts. And she won't go to the cops cause she'll go down for helping us escape." Ann told him.

Ann could see he was skeptical. But he let her continue towards the park.

It was just beginning to get dark when they arrived at the park. Central park was large, and the doctor hadn't specified where she would be. So they parked the car and walled around on foot.

It's was mostly deserted. They walked for quite awhile looking for the woman. Finally Ann spotted her off in the distance. Once she saw them she sprinted their direction happily.

It wasn't till she got closer that Ann realized the nut case was running towards Joker, intent on giving a huge hug.

Oh hell no.

Before Ann had time to react to the crazy lady, Joker held his arm up and the doctor collided with his hand. He pushed her to the side easily and she landed in a heap in the dirt.

Ann snickered and Joker gave her a 'wtf' look. "I told you she was nuts." She explained.

The woman got up and brushed herself off, not nearly as disappointed as she should be. She beamed at Joker. "I thought ups be a bit more grateful." She pouted

"Right." Ann said loudly and shoved the pink phone at her, pushing her back a step. "Here's the phone. Thanks for the help. Now get lost." She then grabbed Jokers arm and they turned to leave.

"Wait. Wait. Don't go yet." The woman pleaded. "I want to go with you. Let me be part of your gang."

Joker gave her a 'you can't be serious' look. "No way in hell, barbie." Ann told her. The woman glared at her. "It's not your decision. It's his gang."

Ann was fuming. She was almost at the end of her patience. "How hard is it to see that were together? Surely you've figured that out by now. His 'gang' is my gang. We're partners." Ann told her.

Joker was just standing back, watching the exchange with interest. "She's right. We're partners." He told the doctor. They turned to leave again.

"Wait! Take my number. You know, in case you ever want to trade up." She told Joker. Ann was livid. Joker prevented her from attacking the doctor.

"Look. I'm flattered. But you'd be more like a downgrade. A serious one." He laughed at her and practically dragged Ann away.

Ann got in the car and slammed the door. Joker was smirking at her from the other seat. "You didn't tell me I had an admirer." He teased as she tore down the street, ignoring the posted speed limits.

"I figured your ego was big enough already." She grumbled, still pissed from the entire thing.

"I'm sensing some hostility. You know something. I think your jealous." She could hear the laugh in his voice.

"Jealous? Of that? See your wrong. Jealous is when you want what someone else has. And she has nothing I want."

"Because I'm already yours." He was baiting her. "Exactly." She told him.

"Hmm. This conversation sounds familiar. Haven't we done this before?" He taunted. So that was his point.

Just when she was going to say something sarcastic, Joker grabbed the wheel and yanked it to the right, causing the car to skid around a corner. A moment later and Batman's tank flew past them. Her protest died on her lips as she realized he had been trying to ram them. Joker had prevented it.

She slammed gears, coaxing the car to higher speeds in an attempt to leave him far behind.

"Fucking hell. He never gives up." She complained. Joker didn't comment. He leaned up, watching the passenger mirror for signs of the tank.

"He's coming up on your left." Joker warned. Ann swerved over as the tank shot past them. He was trying to ram them again.

They were traveling side by side. He slowed and a moment later she realized he was trying a pit maneuver. She slammed on the breaks. But she was a second too late. Instead of hitting her by the back tire he hit her by the front.

The car spun out of control and she counter steered trying to correct it. She managed to get the car under control, pointed back the way they had come from. She floored it and started slamming gears again.

"Turn right." Joker told her. The car slid around the corner. There was more traffic on this road. She weaved in and out of the cars haphazardly, hoping to lose Batman in the confusion. But he was coming up behind them again.

Ann jerked the car over into incoming traffic just as Batman reached them. Cars honked and swerved of the road. Some went into the curb and some crossed over into the lane batman was in. She saw him try to steer around them in her rear view mirror.

She slid the car around a corner to the left. "Take a right in three blocks. There's a parking garage we can hide in." Joker told her calmly. He had realized, like her, that they were in the clear for a few minutes until batman managed to work around the cars.

She made the right turn, still pushing the car to its limits and pulled into the parking garage Joker indicated. She wound her way several floors up the parking garage before backing into a spot between two other cars.

She got out of the car and slammed the door and ran her hands through her hair. She was incredibly angry. Joker got out and walked around the car to where she stood.

The front left panel of the car was dented in and the hood was bent up several inches and it had a busted head light. She piped the hood to look at the motor. It wasn't smoking, which was a good sign. Everything looked like it was still intact.

"It's not that bad." Joker assured her. "We'll just get it fixed."

"I can only think of one person who'd be crazy enough to fix it for us." She said. "And he's not gonna be happy about it." Joker had walked to the edge of the parking garage to glance out, presumably making sure no one had figured out where they were.

"I need to find a pay phone so I can call him." Ann said, frustrated.

"Well send Dev out for a few new phones once we get back." Joker told her. She sighed. "Well the engine looks fine. But I don't think we should drive it till I know for sure." She told him.

"You can call your friend later and have him come get it. It'd be easier to get out of this area on foot anyway." He replied. She nodded.

Ann made sure to get everything valuable out of the car, including her new clothes, before locking it. They left the garage on foot, traveling through back allies, until they were a decent distance away from the area.

Joker found a car that would blend into normal traffic before busting out one of the back windows and unlocking the car. They both climbed inside.

Joker ripped apart the dash and cut the wires to hot wire the car and before long they were headed out of the city. Ann heaved a sigh of relief once they were in open country. The drive back to the hideout seemed to go by fast.

Joker pulled into the tree line outside the small cottage and killed the car. There was a gray Honda civic parked near them. She was assuming it was Devon's car. Ann walked to the cottage and opening the door. She didn't even bother to see if Joker was following.

"Oh your back. We were beginning to wonder if you got caught." Crane commented from the couch. Devon was lounging at the other end of it drinking a beer.

"I need you to go to the store and buy a couple prepaid phones." Ann told Devon, ignoring Crane.

"Woah, I'm not going anywhere. Not even home. Cops are out thick tonight." He explained. She was about to yell at him.

"Do what she says." Joker said from behind her, causing her to jump. She hadn't heard him come in. Devon grumbled and downed the rest of his beer.

"Need anything else while I'm out?" He asked. "More beer and smokes." Bozo told him. "Oh, and pizza." Wacko added.

"Great, fine. Beer, smokes, pizza, and phones. Anything else?" Silence. He nodded and grumbled to himself and walked out the door.

Ann practically collapsed into a nearby chair. Normally she'd have sat on the couch. But Crane was already there. She wasn't too keen on sitting anywhere near him.

The thugs were watching some kind of western movie with John Wayne. She liked John Wayne, so she settled in to watch. A moment later Joker walked up to stand right in front of her, blocking her view of the TV.

She raised her eyebrows. "Need something?" She asked. He motioned for her to stand. She barely kept herself from rolling her eyes before she stood up. They were practically nose to nose.

He took her hand and led her back outside. Once on the porch he handed her a bokken, a wood practice sword. She groaned. All she wanted to do was sit and relax for awhile.

"Do we have to do this now?" She asked as he picked up one for himself and walked out to a nearby clearing. She followed. "What better time to practice than when you've had a bad day?" He asked.

"But I haven't had a bad day. It was actually a pretty good day, aside from batman smashing up my car." She told him.

"Then take out your frustration." He argued. She shrugged her leather coat off and tossed it aside. Goosebumps crawled up her skin as the cool night air hit her arms and stomach.

"Shouldn't we be practicing with real swords?" She asked, a bit annoyed at having to use wooden ones.

"This will keep us from killing each other. You know what a real sword feels like. I want to focus more on technique." He explained. Like she hadn't heard that a million times. The technique part, not the killing part. Technique was a fundamental part of any martial art. Sloppy technique meant sloppy fighting. Her instructors had made a point of drilling all their students on it from day one.

_Your gonna help me out with this, right?_

**I suppose….**

She sunk her body into a comfortable stance, waiting for him to attack. He only stood there as if they weren't about to be fighting.

**You can't always wait for your opponent to attack first.**

At Akira's prodding, Ann leapt at Joker with a vertical attack from her sword. He batted it away and brought the tip of his bokken to her neck. Only now did she realize that she had put too much faith in hitting her target and had left herself completely unguarded when she missed.

She backed up, intent on trying again.

**A little less reckless this time. That was more of a finishing move, not an opening one.**

Annoyed at her mistake, Ann closed the distance between them and struck at his shoulder. He blocked the strike and kicked at her torso. She evaded it by spinning to the side, like Akira had during her fight with Batman. But Joker saw it coming when she tried to hit his elbow like the last time. He spun the other way and blocked her strike before following up with a dash at her head. She barely managed to shift her weight in time to avoid getting knocked upside the head. She turned, slashing at his neck. She was shocked when she realized her attack was going to hit him and she pulled back to let it rest against his neck instead of hitting him full force.

She grinned at having won the match. But the look on his face said she had missed something. She felt a tap on her neck and looked down to realize he had the tip of his bokken under her chin. The match was a draw.

She disengaged and baked up a step, disappointed. "Your too soft Shadow. You'd have won that. If you hadn't pulled back your attack."

She shook it off, preparing to attack again. "Don't hold back." He told her. A moment later he lunged forward and swing his sword in a wide arch, attempting to slash her across the stomach.

He caught her completely off guard and she barely managed to get her bokken up to block the strike.

**Move faster.**

An knocked away a second strike that was aimed at her head.

_I can't concentrate with you yapping at me! Do something useful!_

She stabbed at Joker trying to turn the battle in her favor. He knocked her bokken away and landed a blow to her shoulder. She yelped as pain burst across her shoulder from his hit. He hasn't hit her nearly as hard as she knew he could have. Anger shot through her as she realized he was going easy on her.

**This is ridiculous. Your not getting anywhere.**

_No shit._

**I'm going to try something different. So don't get mad if it backfires.**

_Wait! Don't do anything crazy!_

Too late. Akira flared her consciousness and Ann felt her control fade slightly. Confused, Ann moved her arms and wiggled her toes. She was still in control.

_What did you do?_

**An experiment.**

Ann's arm moved and she nearly came out of her skin when she realized she hadn't moved it herself.

_What the hell did you do?!_

Now we're both in control. I can teach you better this way.

_This is insane! How did you do that?_

I can show you the moves and it'll feel like you're the one doing it. So you'll progress much faster.

Akira had completely ignored her question. But, Ann had to admit, it was a good idea.

Joker had been patiently waiting for her. He must have realized she was taking to Akira. When she gave him her attention again, he readied himself for the next fight.

Ann smoothly sank into a fighting stance that she had never used before. Joker gave her a strange look, noticing the difference immediately. Ann could see the wheels turning in his head.

A picture of Ann attacking Joker in a diagonal slash flashed in her vision. She realized Akira was telling her what to do. Ann moved exactly how she had seen herself in the vision. She could feel Akira making subtle corrections in her movements as she attacked.

Her bokken met with Joker's as he blocked. He pushed against her, trying to throw her off balance. In an instance another vision flashed before her. She immediately followed the guidance and ducked into a crouch and swept his feet out from under him.

She leapt and brought her bokken down in a move that would have lopped off his head. He rolled away and avoided the blow. Her bokken connected with dirt. He was on his feet less than a second later. His sword came straight down at her head. She was vulnerable in her kneeling position. She quickly brought her sword up to block the attack.

Another vision showed her what to do. She shoved against his bokken, pushing the sword away and giving her a split second to regain her footing. He was on her again before she could attack.

He came at her faster this time. His movements were almost a blur as he cut upwards diagonally, aiming for her arms. Akira yanked Ann's arms back before the blow could connect. He had closed the distance between them.

Another vision showed her lunging forward and stabbing at his chest. It would hit and end the match. Ann eagerly did just like the vision predicted. Joker, having realized he was about to lose, managed to pull the hilt of his bokken in her path just before she would have connected. In knocked him backwards. He managed to keep his footing, only sliding back a bit.

Ann realized she was breathing heavily. Joker only looked slightly winded. But he was winded. This small accomplishment made her extraordinarily happy.

He suddenly regained his composure and stalked towards her. He wasn't attacking just walking. So she was unsure what to do. Akira gave her a vision of her striking at his neck. But she ignored it.

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him. His lips crashed into hers a moment later. Her eyes shot open in surprise before they slowly closed and she enjoyed the kiss.

He deepened the kiss and she let her bokken fall from her fingers as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He backed her up against a nearby tree and pined her against it. His fingers ran across her exposed back and up her shirt.

**Mmm. He is such a good kisser.**

Ann's eyes shot open at the realization Akira was still partially in control. She pushed Joker away. "Stop. Just, one second. I have to. … just wait a second." She told him. She was flustered and out of breath again.

_Get out. Undo it. What ever you did, fix it back._

**Why should you get all the fun? I'm helping you train after all.**

_Just undo it! He's mine! Your as bad as that stalker doctor!_

**Alright alright! You spoil everything.**

Ann gradually felt her complete control returning as Akira's faded. Ann became aware of the situation again, realizing Joker had leaned his forehead against hers during her exchange with Akira.

"Sorry about that." She mumbled, embarrassed she had made him wait. And more embarrassed that he knew why.

"Was that her the whole time?" He asked quietly. She shook her head. "No. It was me. And her. Well, it's complicated. She was helping me." Ann confessed.

He smirked. "Good. You'll learn faster that way." He told her. She smiled. "Yeah, that was kind of the idea." His smirk grew a bit.

"What's funny?" She asked, almost afraid of the answer. "She can't keep her hands off me." He told her, laughing a bit. She glared at him. "It's not funny." She protested. It only made him laugh a bit more. "It's not! She tries to jump you every bloody chance she gets." Ann complained. "Two women in one body and they both have the hots for me." She smacked him in the arm.

"Your ego is officially too big for you." She had been hoping he wouldn't notice Akira's wanton behavior.

He didn't answer. Instead he leaned down and kissed her sweetly. She pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. His hands slid up her shirt and a second later he undid her bra. He slipped it out of her shirt.

The smooth fabric of her shirt against her nipples made her shiver. She raked her fingernails down his back lightly and he tensed.

An idea formed in her mind as she remembered he liked the pain. She smirked against his lips just before she playfully nipped him. He grabbed her butt and lifted her against the tree and she wrapped her legs around him. His hands wandered up her shirt and he rubbed his thumbs over her breasts. She moaned and pressed herself against his hands.

In one smooth motion he pulled her shirt over her head and discarded it. He trailed hot kisses down her neck. She ran her hands through his hair and tugged lightly. He growled and bit her neck causing her to jerk and cry out.

She could feel his erection straining against his pants between her legs. She pulled his purple coat over his shoulders and down his arms. He straightened his arms a moment to let it fall to the ground.

She was getting impatient. She wanted to feel his skin on hers. She undid his vest and he shrugged it off and let her pull his shirt over his head. She didn't hesitate a moment before biting into his shoulder. He growled and grinded against her, pushing her against the tree.

The bark on the tree scratched and grated on her skin. She tried to reach his belt to undo his pants, but their bodies were too close and she couldn't reach it. He pulled her away from the tree and laid her down in the grass beside it. But before she could reach for his belt again, he grabbed the top of her leggings and peeled them off her.

The cold air assaulted her legs and she shivered. Joker leaned back over her and kissed her. Annoyed, she realized he was still completely in control. She wanted to change that. Wanted him to lose his mind for her like she had for him so many times.

She grabbed at his belt and managed to undo it before yanking his pants down to his knees. He smirked at her eagerness and kicked them off. She ran her hands up his back, pulling him closer, before digging her fingernails into his flesh. He smoothly griped her wrists and forced them above her head, tsking at her.

She sneered at him, angry that he had seen through what she was trying to accomplish. She hooked her leg around his and, catching him off guard, managed to flip him into his back and roll on top of him. She takes her wrists out of his grasp and pinned him the way he had pinned her.

She had no doubt he could break her hold easily. He was much stronger. But he let her hold him in place like she wanted, a sexy smirk on his lips. When she was sure he wasn't going to move, she let go of his hands and sat up, trailing her fingertips down his arms and chest till they reached his boxers.

She slid them down his hips until his manhood was visible. She glanced up at him to see his reaction as she gently gripped him in one hand. His eyes were burning, searing her in place with a fierceness, like the look of a predator holding himself at bay. The way he looked at her was so intense she nearly forgot what she had been doing. Nearly.

He was still in control of himself, she realized. So she took it a step farther, doing what he wouldn't have expected. She leaned forward and kissed him tenderly on the lips before leaving a trail of kisses down his jaw and neck. She continued down his chest and stomach. He had tensed under her, realizing her intention. She placed a kiss on the top of his throbbing cock before slowly taking him into her mouth.

She heard him groan as she slowly took more of him in her mouth. She realized she couldn't take all of him. She was already having problems keeping herself from gagging. She took as much of him as she could before pulling back and doing it again.

He arched his back and his hands fisted in her hair. She kept going, slowly increasing her pace. Just when she thought she was about to push him past the point of no return, he yanked her back by her hair. He pushed her so she fell back off him. She landed on her butt between his legs.

He was on her before she could complain. He ripped her panties off and thrust inside her. She cried out from the sudden shock of him stretching her walls. She gripped his arms hard enough to draw blood as he thrust inside her again and again.

She had been close, she realized. So close to pushing him past his limits. And he had turned the situation around on her just before she could reach her goal. Angry that he had taken that away from her she tried to flip him over again. But he wouldn't budge. It was like pushing against a solid wall.

He gave her that cruel and sadistic smile and she felt herself melt a bit under his gaze. Determined not to give up, she ran her fingers through his hair before gripping it tightly and forcing him to kiss her. He groaned against her mouth and she nipped his lip a bit harder than was necessary. He thrust into her harder and she yelped. It hurt, but it felt good.

No going back now, she dug her fingernails into his back and dragged them downward, causing him to jerk and thrust harder. She cried out again. The pain was intoxicating.

His breath was slightly ragged in her ear. "Don't Ann. I'll hurt you."

She ignored his warning, determined to find out exactly what would happen. She nuzzled his neck, faking at affection. Just as his pace returned to normal she bit down on his neck hard. He growled in her ear.

He was suddenly off her. Before she could processes what had happened he flipped her over on her stomach.

"What the hell." She complained. She got on her hands and knees, about to stand, when he thrust inside her from behind. She yelped in surprise.

"Lil witch. You want me to fuck you?" He fisted his hand in her hair and yanked her head back. She yelled in surprise. He pulled back and slammed into her again, earning another scream. "Do you?" He growled.

"Yes." She admitted. Heaven help her, she wanted it. Wanted it more than ever.

"Louder." He commanded, slamming into her again. "Yes!" She yelled. He grabbed her hip with his free hand and pulled her into him as he continued pounding into her.

She dug her fingers into the ground and bit her lip, trying in vain to keep from moaning or crying out.

The pain was exquisite. She couldn't contain herself any longer. "Jak!" She yelled. She went over the edge, drowning in ecstasy. She felt herself spasm around him as he pulled back and thrust into her several more times and he spilled inside her.

She sank to her forearms, breathing heavily. Joker leaned forward to rest his forehead on her back.

After a moment he gently pulled her sideways so that they were laying on their sides together. He nuzzled the back of her neck affectionately. She dimly noted that it was a strange thing for him to do. Then she realized, he felt bad. He thought he hurt her. He didn't know she had enjoyed it.

Now that the adrenaline was wearing off she was beginning to get cold. She shivered and pressed herself closer to him. He leaned away for a moment and grabbed his purple coat. He draped it over them before wrapping his arms around her.

The coat easily covered them and she sighed contently. She had an amazing view of the night sky from where they were. The branches of the tree obstructed part of it. But she could still see the stars. Thousands of them glittered the night sky in swirls and patterns that her hazy mind couldn't comprehend.

After awhile she began to catch herself nodding off. She rolled over a bit to look at Joker. He was still wide awake, gazing at the stars like she had been.

"We're gonna have to go back in eventually." She told him. He nodded and reached for his pants. Ann leaned up and forced herself to sit. His coat slid down around her as Joker shrugged his pants on.

She stood and handed him his coat before she began collecting her clothes. But before she could put them on he slipped his coat over her shoulders. She looked at him, confused. He took her clothes and stuffed them into his coats pocket then wrapped the coat around her so that she was completely covered. She smiled at the gesture. It was sweet.

Joker collected his shirt and vest and stuffed them in the other coat pocket before retrieving their discarded shoes and her jacket. They walked back to the cottage together, taking their time.

Ann was hoping everyone would be asleep. She seriously did not want them all to see her come in wearing nothing but Jokers coat.

She opened the door to see that luck wasn't on her side. Literally everyone in the house was sitting in the living room watching tv. Ann blushed as every one of them turned to look at her. It didn't exactly help that Joker was standing behind her in nothing but his pants.

Bozo whistled and the whole room, minus Connor, clapped. Her face turned red, both from anger and embarrassment. She grabbed the first thing her hand came in contact with, a lamp by the door, and hurled it at Bozo. It hit the wall just above his head and shattered all over him. The room was deathly silent.

"The look on your face!" Devon yelled, pointing at Bozo. He was white as a sheet. The whole room laughed. Ann smirked to herself before ducking out of the room and disappearing up the stairs. Joker followed her.

Once in their bed room Ann was dead set on going straight to sleep. But looking down at herself she realized she was covered in grass. It was in her hair mostly. And smears of dirt stained her knees and hands and probably her butt.

She sighed and went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. It was practically scalding hot when she stepped under the stream of water. Joker joined her a minute later. She lathered herself with soap and washed the dirt and grass from her skin before washing her hair. Most of the grass came out easily. But a few stubborn pieces remained tangled in her hair. So she stood back and picked them out absentmindedly while Joker washed himself like she had.

Once he finished she rinsed her hair again to get the last of the grass out. She felt his hands on her shoulders and jumped in surprise. He hadn't touched her or said a word since they were having sex.

~~You want me to fuck you?~~

He had been so carnal and fierce. It made her melt all over again just thinking of it. She shivered. His hands started rubbing and kneading her shoulders. She sighed and leaned into his hands.

He was acting strange. He must have still felt bad about hurting her.

"You don't have to do that." She told him. "Maybe I like making you feel good." He whispered, like it was some dark secret.

She turned to face him. Her movement was sudden and left his hands hovering in the air where her shoulders had been. They were right above her breasts.

"If your feeling guilty, don't." She told him, almost angry at him. He leaned back. There was that look again. He was trying to figure her out.

"Look, I liked it, okay. It did hurt. But it felt… good." She explained, hoping his weird thing of feeling bad would go away. "I wanted it like that."

He stepped forward, putting him right in front of her. "You wanted it rough?" He had lowered his voice to that predatory one he had used before. She nodded.

"I wanted you to lose control. It was…." She gave him a sly look. "intoxicating."

He smirked and kissed her. "I'll remember that." He told her before stepping past her and out of the shower. She turned off the water and wrung her hair before following him. He handed her a towel and she dried herself off as best she could.

She wandered into the bedroom and dug through her underwear box until she found a pair of panties she liked. She slipped them on and practically collapsed into bed. Joker turned off the lights and climbed in after her and pulled the covers over them. She snuggled up to him as he wraps his arms around her. She was asleep in no time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and continuing to follow my story. I've come to uncharted territory and I need your help. I'm at a point in the story where certain details of Joker's past are being revealed. And I'm uncertain how to proceed. Ann, being the brash and determined heroine she is, is unlikely to settle for not knowing much longer. But Joker is a very secretive and manipulative person. Hence my dilema. 
> 
> So I'm leaving it up to you, my readers, how I proceed. Should Ann demand answers and Joker comply, giving her his entire story and leaving nothing a mystery? Or should he continue to be vague and mysterious, leaving Ann to figure out the answers herself?
> 
> Please comment below how you would prefer. I'll proceed in the manner dictated by popular vote. Thank you


	19. Chapter 19

 

Ann was fitful in her waking. She tossed and turned, trying in vain to hold onto sleep. Eventually she gave up and forced herself to open her eyes. A steady stream of light cut across the room, illuminating the dusty space. For once the light from the window wasn’t hitting her in the face. She slowly propped herself upright and rubbed her bleary eyes. A steady banging noise continuously thudded nearby. That must have been the cause of her fitful sleep.

Ann grumbled and forced her stiff body out of bed. She dressed slowly and headed downstairs. She found Crain, Bozo, and Wacko enjoying a pot of coffee in the kitchen, a box of left over pizza on the table between them.

“Where’s Joker?” She asked once she had their attention. Bozo pointed to the back door. Ann sighed. Of course he was outside. She rolled her eyes and opened the door before stepping out into the cool and humid outdoors.

The air smelt clean and refreshing. Ann breathed it in, enjoying the pollution free atmosphere. The sun was slowly sinking over the trees in the distance. She had slept through the day again. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to that. But, being in the company of criminals, it made sense to be active at night. It dawned on her how much Joker had gone through when they first met. He must have changed his schedule around to suit hers in the beginning.

The banging she had heard upstairs was more audible outside. She followed the noise around the side of the building.

Around the corner was a long metal ladder. Devon sat on the roof near the top of it, hammering away and laying shingles. Putting two and two together, Ann realized it had rained during the night, and that someone had had a less than pleasant experience with a leaky roof. And poor Devon was left to fix the problem.

She watched him work for several minutes. The process was fairly simple. Pick up shingle, place shingle, nail shingle. Wanting a closer look, she made her way up the ladder. Devon’s back was to her as he worked. She contemplated scaring him, but thought better of it. She could easily see him falling off the roof in a fright. Just as she made her decision, Devon ran out of shingles. He turned in search of the next package, and came nose to nose with Ann.

Startled, Devon yelped and jumped back. His footing failed and he slid off the edge, screaming like a banshee. Ann tried to catch him, but from where she stood on the ladder she couldn’t reach. Devon managed to catch hold of the guttering and avoid falling the two stories to the ground.

“What the hell!” he screamed while struggling to pull himself up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-“ “Just help me up!” He yelled again. Ann clambered onto the roof and grabbed his hands, trying to heave him back up. Just when she seemed to get a good grip on him Joker strolled around the corner with a package of shingles slung over his shoulder. He stopped and looked at helpless Devon’s feet that were dangling a few feet above him. In a smooth hop, Joker jumped and grabbed a foot. With a scream, Devon came crashing down at Jokers feet.

“Quit fooling around.” Joker scolded Devon, who was bleary and dazed from the fall. He shook his head as if to clear it. “I wasn’t! She scared the hell out of me. Crazy woman.” Ann glared at him from her perch on roof.

“Hey!” She yelled, “I tried to help your fat ass back up! I even said sorry!” Devon stood and glared back at her. “If you hadn't been up there like a psycho none of this would have happened and I’d still be working!”  
Angry at being called crazy and a psycho she grabbed the first thing she found, Devon’s hammer, and hurled it at him. He just barely managed to avoid it. “Call me psycho again you little shit!”

“Throwing a hammer at me makes you look MORE psycho!” he yelled back. Ann grabbed the box of nails and threw those next. He didn't have a chance to avoid it this time. The box slammed into his chest and broke open, scattering nails all over him and the area.

Joker sighed. “Clean this mess up.” He told Devon. Devon frowned, clearly unhappy about the entire thing, and began picking up the nails. Joker dropped the package of shingles and glanced up at Ann. “You goinna stay up there all day?” he asked sarcastically. Scowling, Ann made her way back down the ladder. “Have you eaten?” he asked. She shook her head no, slightly confused. “Go eat something.” Annoyed by the entire thing, she turned without a word and walked back to the kitchen.

Once inside she sat at the table and grabbed a slice of pizza from the box, eating it cold. All eyes were on her, as usual, but she did her best to ignore it. “How’s your head?” Crane asked, seeking her attention. She shrugged. “It feels fine. Kinda itchy.” She told him. He nodded. “Itchy is good. Mind if I have a look?” She nodded, resigned to letting him be the doctor of the group.

Crane stood and walked behind her before digging around in her hair to find the wound. He poked and prodded it, asking if it hurt. It was only slightly tender. “You should be ready to have them out by tomorrow. Possibly the day after. She nodded, satisfied that they’d soon be gone.

Ann was expecting Crane to return to his chair, only he didn’t. He slowly dragged his hands down the back of her neck and let them rest there. Ann immediately tensed, ready to defend herself. But she was in a bad position, sitting with a maniac’s hands on her neck. He could do any number of things before she could react properly.

“Remove your hands.” She growled. She was practically shaking she was so angry. Angry she let herself be in this position. Crane didn’t respond to her command. He just continued to slide his hands down her shoulders.

The audible click of several guns being taken off safety directed her attention to the two thugs at the table with them.

“She told you to get your hands off her.” Bozo told Crane angrily. Crane raised his hands and took a step back. Ann was on her feet a second later. She grabbed crane’s arm and shoulder before slamming his face into the kitchen wall. “If you ever touch me again I’ll cut off your fucking hands.” She sneered at him. A second later the back door opened and Joker walked in.

He took a look at Ann. She still hand Crane held in an arm bar with his face against the wall. Blood trickled from his nose. She shoved him away from her and stalked off through the house, intent on getting as far away as possible. She vaguely heard Joker ask what had happened and Bozo responding before she stormed through the front door and slammed it behind her.

Not really knowing where else to go, she walked to the nearby meadow to clear her head. She sat in the light from the setting sun, letting it warm her skin and calm her nerves.

This is what she had to work with? A manipulative and secretive clown that seemed intent on keeping her ignorant as long as possible, and a psychotic bipolar doctor who knew at least some of the answers she needed. Maybe.

She glared at the nearby trees, frustrated by her situation. She needed more information. And if yesterdays conversation with Joker was any indication, she was going to need whatever Crane knew. Short of prying bits and pieces from Joker it was her only lead. And she needed half a million dollars to pay for that information.

Going over her options, she ruled out several right from the start. She could rob another bank. But doing it by herself would be near impossible. She could petition Misa to withdraw the cash for her, but that would raise police suspicion. And they were already watching Misa closely. She could ask Joker for help robbing the bank, but that would defeat the purpose of Crane entirely. Joker would surely be curious about her plans for such a large sum of money. And she knew better than anyone that he could make her talk if he wanted to. No, she had to do it alone.

**It's you'r money. Use it when you need it.**

_Very funny._

**I’m serious. Just rob yourself. It’s your money. The transferring schedules should still be the same.**

_Akira you’re brilliant!_

It was the perfect solution. Ann probably knew the banking schedule better than anyone, except maybe Misa. She already had the advantage. But hitting an armored truck was no easy matter. She would need help. Someone to watch her back. She had just decided whom to enlist for the job when Joker sat down beside her.

Her earlier anger at Crane flared to the surface. “I guess Bozo told you what happened?” she asked. He nodded. “Don’t worry. He’ll be gone in a few days.” That was no good. She still needed Crane. But if she defended him it would look suspicious. “I suppose people are labeled crazy for a reason.” She commented instead.

“It’ll be dark soon. We meet with March in a few hours.” He told her. “So soon? That was fast.” She replied, impressed. He shrugged in response “He’s the best. He keeps many things stocked up in his warehouses for repeat customers.” Ann smiled. “Well, we better get moving then.”

 

* * *

 

 

An hour later she was riding shotgun in the van while Connor drove. She periodically relayed directions that Joker had given her. The rest of the thugs were in the back of the van, locked and loaded. Joker, meanwhile, had taken Devon to acquire a semi truck to haul their many purchases in. Ann had been left in charge until he showed up to meet them at the warehouse in the dockyard.

They were nearing their destination. Ann finally spotted the warehouse they were looking for on their right, and told Connor to pull into the parking lot.

The huge double doors had been left partially open for them. Light poured out into the black night, illuminating the space beyond the doors. Connor parked nearby and they all filed out of the van. Bear followed close to Ann carrying two large duffle bags full of cash from their last robbery.

March met them at the doorway the moment they were in sight, greeting her warmly and shaking her hand. “Come. Inspect the merchandise!” He said in an excited voice. She followed March, motioning for the rest of her group to wait near the doors.

Joker had briefed her on what should be present in their purchase and what to look for in inspecting the many weapons. Most of it she knew already. But she was thankful he had thought to go over it with her. It was a large order.

March lead her from crate to crate, showcasing the many weapons on display and waiting patiently while she inspected them. It took a bit more time than she had initially expected. But when they were finally done, and everything Joker had mentioned was accounted for, March practically beamed.

“And I have a very special item for you.” He told her happily, leading her to a nearby table. A hard plastic rifle case rested on the table. March unsnapped it and lifted the lid, revealing the Dragunov she had requested. She could hardly believe her eyes. That he had gotten his hands on one so quickly was impressive in itself. But this rifle was exquisite. The stock was made of what appeared to be oak. It was polished to a mirror finish, looking sleek and shiny in the dim light.

March motioned for her to take it. She reached out and carefully lifted the weapon from its case. It felt good in her hands. Like an extension of herself. She pointed it towards a light on the ceiling and aimed at it through the specialized scope she had asked for. It was beautiful. She was just itching to sight it in and shoot it. She smiled widely at March, her happiness with it was obvious. He smirked back at her.

“And I managed to get these as well.” He held up an old and worn ammo box. “These are the brass casings, mind you. Very important to use brass with this weapon or it will jam easily.” She nodded and accepted the box. “Its all I could put together on such short notice. Brass casings in 7.62 are hard to get now days. You certainly wont find them in any pawn shop.” He commented. She smiled. “I guess that means Ill be a repeat customer.” She told him. The comment seemed to make him happy. “Come back by in about a week and I should have a much larger order of them ready to go.”

Ann looked back towards the group of thugs she had left by the door, and motioned for Bear to bring the duffle bags. He obliged her and, hefting them like they were nothing, he carried them to her and deposited them at her feet before walking back to rejoin the others. Just as he reached the group, Ann heard the faint roar of a diesel engine outside.

“Would you like to count it, March?” She asked, motioning towards the bags of money. “Oh no. I trust Joker. In matters of payment, in any case. He’s always been overtly generous.” He snapped his fingers and two men appeared from nowhere and took the bags away.

Ann shook his hand again, concluding their business. “March, it was an absolute pleasure.” “Likewise, Shadow.” She smiled and put her Dragunov in its case before carrying it back to her group just as Joker appeared.

“Everything in order?” He asked. “To the letter.” She reported happily. He nodded, seeming happy that she was pleased. In truth, she was ecstatic. Not only had he trusted her with being in charge of his thugs, but he had shown to a business associate that she was an equal. Everything had gone unexpectedly smooth. And she had her Dragunov.

Joker motioned to the group of thugs, who began loading the small crates into the back of the semi parked outside. A few of March’s men stayed behind to help with the heavier crates with a forklift. With the extra assistance, it took no time for everything to be loaded and tied down.

She was about to climb back in the van with the thugs who were inside waiting on her when Joker grabbed her attention. “Make sure to call your mechanic friend while were still in the city.” He gave her a quick kiss before heading back to the semi truck with Devon.

She had nearly forgotten about her car. She climbed into the van and Connor pulled out behind the semi, following easily. Ann made her phone call. Duane wasn’t very happy at receiving a phone call and being woken up. But he grudgingly agreed to get her car and make the repairs needed. Ann sighed happily. For once, things were going the way they should.

Working their way back through the city was a long process. The semi was obeying the traffic laws, to minimize attention. And it was a rather large vehicle, more than doubling time it took to get up to speed after stopping at a light.

They were nearing the outskirts of the city when Connor yelped in surprise. The van shook from an impact in the back, causing several of the thugs to fall into the floor and foul language to be yelled in the chaos.

It had taken Ann by surprise as well. She looked in the mirror to see Batman’s big black vehicle preparing to ram them a second time. “Watch out!” Ann yelled at Connor. Too late. The van shook again and Connor almost lost control. The semi in front of them had sped up and was now ignoring the rules of the road.

“Pick up the pace, Connor. Your going to have to speed.” She instructed. She could tell he wasn’t happy. But he hit the gas anyway. “Drive defensively.” She told him as she eyed the tank on their tail.

“Turn left at the next main intersection.” Ann instructed. “But what about the boss?” Bozo complained behind her. “Batman will assume Joker is in here with us. We have to get him away from the semi.” She explained. Bozo seemed satisfied.

Connor did as he was told and turned. Just as she predicted, Batman followed them, ignoring the semi. A rocket flared towards them and Connor barely managed to avoid it. Ann suddenly wished Devon was the one driving. He had experience dealing with the rockets.

Ann took stock of her options. She had her pistols, which would accomplish squat. She had her new Dragunov with armor piercing rounds. But it wasn’t sighted in yet.

“Too bad the damn rocket launchers are in the truck.” Wacko commented.

“That’s it!” She yelled. She dug under the seat until she found the box of grenades Devon had left there and pulled them out. She felt the whole van collectively tense. “Maybe we should, uh, try to lose him. Without those.” Crane suggested nervously. She glared at him. Everyone else was silent.

“Okay Connor. When I tell you, slow down and turn right. I’m going to jump out and distract him.” She instructed.

“No way!” Bozo disagreed. “J would kill us if anything happened to you. No, you stay in the van.” It was his turn to get glared at.

“Joker put me in charge for a reason. What good will me staying in the van do if we all get blown up or arrested? You will do as I say and get away while I draw him off. Once your out of sight call Joker and link back up with the semi.” She told him, putting a commanding tone in her voice. “Understand?”

Bozo grudgingly nodded. “Good.”

Ann stuffed two grenades in her coat pockets and held two more, one in each hand. “Okay Connor. Do it now.” The van slowed to an acceptable speed. Ann opened the door and rolled onto the pavement, banging her elbows through the leather of her coat. She stopped in a crouch and watched as the van sped away. She looked back to see Batman had noticed her exiting the van. He had stopped dead in the intersection. The top of the tank began unfolding, he was getting out, she realized. Wasting no time, she pulled the pins on the grenades and tossed them at the tank just as Batman’s imposing figure immerged.

She didn’t wait to see the explosion. She took off at a breakneck run the other way. Seconds later the twin explosions of the grenades shook the area. They were in a low income housing area. She turned down the next street over, never slowing her pace. There was nowhere to go. The buildings were so sparsely located she had nowhere to hide. She continued running until she found a small ally between two rundown houses. She ducked down it, hoping to throw him off her trail. If he was even following at all.

A dog in one yard barked. A big dog by the sound of it. She prayed it was chained or locked up as she ran past. As she neared the end of the small ally she heard the dog attack somewhere behind her. Slowing, she looked back to see Batman trying to fend off a Rottweiler. Thankful it was him and not her, she kept running, glad for the dog distracting him.

As she ran, the buildings changed from run down houses to run down apartment buildings. This area resembled the street layout of the city she was used to. The allies were narrow between buildings. But there were many of them. She ducked down one, taking several turns that lead through the buildings. She charged into the next street over, looking for a quick escape.

Ann ran across the street to the next ally. She ducked behind a trash can and pulled out one of her pistols. Hoping the dog had caused him to lose her direction, she waited. A full minute went by. She was beginning to think she had actually lost him when he emerged from the ally she had come through. He looked around, trying to decide which way she had gone.

The moment he turned his head away from her she opened fire on him. Three bullets hit his chest before he had time to react. He leapt away, rolling on the pavement, before firing a grappling hook. He zoomed to the top of the building she was crouched beside.

Cursing him, she ran through the ally as fast as her feet would go. He was likely chasing her from above. She shoved her pistol back in its holster as she ran, hoping to reach the end of the narrow ally before he did.

She was nearing the end. She was only seconds from breaking out into the open road when he dropped down in front of her. She nearly ran smack into him. Using her momentum, she twisted her body and used her speed to deliver a powerful step over side kick to his chest. It landed and he rolled backwards, trying to minimize the impact. He was back on his feet a second later. Ann didn’t hesitate. She spun, aiming a wheel kick at the side of his head. He blocked and knocked her foot away, putting her off balance. He held his hands out, trying to calm her.

“Calm down. I just want to talk.” He said slowly, in the gruff voice he favored.

 

She backed up to create some distance, still maintaining her fighting stance. But she waited.

 

“You tried to kill me.” He accused. So this was how it would go. “You tried to kill me first.” She shot back. “I was trying to get you to stop. You broke out of Arkham.” He reasoned. She sneered. “A place I would not have ended up if not for you and Gordon.”

 

He sighed. “Your actions lead you there, Ann. Gordon is desperate. He just wants Joker locked up and done with. Just give him what he wants and you’ll have your life back.” He coaxed. He was saying everything a normal person would want to hear. But she wasn’t normal.

"That's not going to happen." She told him firmly. 

“Okay. Tell me what you know about my mentor then.” He demanded. So that was his real goal.

Annoyed, she frowned. Here she was the one seeking information about the same person. “I don’t know anything about him. Maybe you could tell me what I need to know.”

“You knew his fighting style. You mocked me for not using it properly.” He said angrily.

“Not me.” She said in a sing song voice. True, they had never discussed Akira in length. But he did know she existed. He looked confused.

“When you clonked me upside the head you weakened my ability to contain her, allowing her to temporarily control my actions. That whole scenario was your fault.” She explained.

“But you know something about my mentor. How could a second personality have knowledge that you do not?” He asked, he didn’t believe her. He was using the logical approach, trying to catch her in a lie that wasn’t there.

“All I can really tell you is that my ‘second personality’ doesn’t follow the rules of logic like a psychologist would believe.” She tried to explain without giving away any details. “She didn’t originate in my head. I did not create her as a way to cope with something. She was there from the beginning. And she was elsewhere before I was born.”

**Like that wasn’t complicated.**

“Okay.” He was changing tactics again. “Just, come with me. Turn in Joker and we can figure this out together. I can get you the help you need.”

 

She backed away. Now Akira was some kind of disease to him that was clouding her mind. Something that needed to be cured.

“I don’t need ‘help’. I need to be left alone. She’s not some kind of disease that needs to be purged. I don’t want your help.”

“Alright. That’s fine. You can just tell me where he’s hiding out and walk away. I’ll never bother you again.” He was talking softly, treating her like she was broken.

“You don’t know what your asking. My life would be nothing without him. My whole life was a path to him. He sacrificed everything for me from the beginning. And your asking me to have him locked up? Because he doesn’t fit into your little world of justice?”

“Ann, I know what it’s like to love someone. To give everything you have for them. But he’s using you. He’s manipulating you. He’s ruined your life, your freedom, your friendships. He’s made you completely dependent on him.”

She laughed. “You don’t know him at all. And you don’t know me at all if you think I’m dependent on anyone.”

“Prove me wrong.” He argued. “Turn him in. Give me his hideout and I’ll give you your life back.”

He didn’t get it. He still didn’t understand. After all this time and he didn’t know her at all.

“I don’t have to prove anything to you. Look, were on opposite sides here. You made it that way when you chose Batman over me. When you put yourself between me and my freedom. That makes you my enemy. Because I will never give you what you want. I will never give you Joker.”

 

She backed farther away from him. She wanted out of this encounter. It was turning dangerous. And she didn’t like giving away her secrets. But he was like a dog. If she ran he would chase her. She had to make him want to leave her alone.

“The next time I see you, there wont be any talking. You do what you have to do for the sake of your precious justice. And I’ll do what I have to, for me.” She told him, still backing away.

“I cant just let you go, Ann.” He reasoned, following her slow retreat.

She reached into her pocket and found one of the grenades. She pulled it out, holding the lever. He made a move to stop her, but she yanked the pin out before he could. She knew, thanks to Joker, that so long as she held the lever it wouldn’t explode.

“Stay back. You come near me and we’ll both blow up.” She warned him.

“You are many things, woman.” He said, sounding angry. “But suicidal isn’t one of them.” He was calling her bluff.

“I may not be suicidal. But I’d damn sure rather die than go back to Arkham.” She assured him. And it was, at least in part, the truth. He still followed as she backed away.

“Think about all those helpless citizens, Batman.” She taunted. “Whose going to save them all from Joker if you die here?” This caused him to pause.

“I have plenty of these little bombs. If I even think your following me, I’m going to start tossing them through windows. And if you get close to me again, we’ll both go boom.”

He watched her, anger in his eyes, as she backed to the other end of the ally and disappeared around the corner. She still held the grenade while she walked down the street, ready to use it if he should try to surprise her. But he never attacked her. He never dove at her from a roof top or tackled her when her back was turned. If he was following her, he was doing so very carefully.

She would hold this grenade, she decided, until she was farther into the city. There she could call Joker and explain what had happened before finding a ride back to the cabin.

She didn’t like holding the explosive in her hand the way she was. Her hand was beginning to get sweaty. If she lost her grip on the thing it would all be over. She waited another few blocks before she put the pin back in the hole and slowly released her grip on the lever. Nothing happened. It was now safe. As safe as a grenade could be, anyway. She still held it, just in case Batman had followed her. But she was fairly sure he hadn’t.

She found a suitable place up against the wall of the building to call Joker. She pulled her phone out and dialed his number and waited.

The ring of a cell phone across the street made her jump. Looking for the source her eyes landed on the glow of a cell phone that illuminated Joker’s face. He was in the ally across from her, blending perfectly into the shadows.

She sighed in relief, leaning her head back against the wall. So much for not being followed. Good thing Batman seemed to be heeding her warning.

She stuffed her phone back in her pocked and walked over to him. “How long have you been following me?” She asked, relieved at not having to find a way home by herself.

“Since you held yourself hostage with a grenade.” He told her, nodding to the grenade in her hand. She laughed. She was still holding it. She put it back in her pocket.

 

“I saw what you did to his tank.” He told her. She smiled. If anything good came from that mess, it was destroying that damn tank.

“How’d you find us?” She asked, curious. He shrugged. “When the van turned off I had Dev drop me at the next corner. Then Bozo called and explained what happened. I wasn’t far when I heard the explosions.”

“Ah. And then the dog barking.” She realized. He nodded. So he hadn’t been very far behind them the whole time. Meaning he likely heard a good deal of their conversation.

“So I guess we need to find our own way back?” He nodded again. He was being strangely quiet. Likely thinking back on the conversation he had overheard. They started walking towards the tall towers of the city. “So, I’m sure you overheard quite a bit.” She ventured.

“I heard most of it.” He admitted. She decided to be transparent about the entire thing. Last thing she wanted was an argument. “Is there anything bothering you about it?” She asked, hoping he wouldn’t be angry she had talked to him.

“Why are you looking for the League of Shadows?”

This surprised her. She thought for sure he would fixate on her and Batman. “Because they have something to do with you. Why are you trying to keep it from me?” She countered. She may as well be blunt. He smirked. “Because it has everything to do with you.”

_At least he’s being honest. I think._

“Then why keep it a secret, if it’s about me?” She asked, hoping she may yet get some answers. His response just made her want to know more.

“Because the less you know, the better it will be.” He answered. Well that was vague. “You know I’m going to find out. One way or another.” She told him. He smirked. “Of course you will.”

She sighed, giving up. “So, my bike is still impounded.” She hinted. She needed a ride of her own if she was ever going to get the money for Crane.

“It is.” He responded, still being vague. She rolled her eyes. “Maybe, since we have nothing else to do but find a ride, we could liberate it?” She suggested. He was silent a moment. She was beginning to think he would say no. “Alright.”

She smiled. At least she would have her bike back after tonight. The fiasco with Batman had brought about something positive.

“The impound lot is across town.” He commented. Her face fell. They would either be walking all night to reach it, or they would need a temporary ride to the impound.

“Call the blonde.” Joker suggested. At her look of disbelief, he added. “She’ll be happy to help and give us what we need.” Ann shrugged. It gave her a chance to see how things were going without going out of her way and endangering everyone. “Okay.”

 

* * *

* * *

 

 

It took Ashley nearly twenty minutes to show up. Like Duane, she hadn’t been happy about a late night phone call. But once she realized who it was and what Ann wanted, she was more than happy to have been woken.

Ann and Joker climbed into her car, a silvery Buick pedestrian looking thing, and the chatter began. Joker kept to himself while Ashley talked a mile a minute, telling Ann all kinds of details. She went from talking about Misa and Maroni to Reign and her sister. Maroni, being the generous man he was, had put them up in his mansion. He tutored Reign in music, math, and literature and allowed her sister to work as a maid in his home for a substantial profit. Reign was attending a private school at Maroni’s expense, where she would be put on the fast track to an expanded education, and given unique opportunities for college once she was old enough to attend. Turns out, the little girl was a lot smarter than any of them had originally believed. She excelled so greatly that she had been moved two grades ahead of other students her own age.

Misa was running a tight ship at the company. Their profit margins had come up several points since she had taken full control. An impressive feat. They had new contracts with the department of defense and an offshore technological corporation that promised massive returns. The engineering and research departments were collaborating with the government to establish a new type of nano technology that could track and communicate with soldiers in the field from a large distance.

Everything seemed to be going very smooth now than Ann was outlawed. The thought made her feel bad. Like somehow she had been holding everyone back from their full potential. Until “We miss you. All of us do.” Ashley put in. Before Ann had time to register what she said, the blonde was off talking about something else. Joker chuckled beside her. She could swear he was able to read her mind sometimes.

Ashley parked a few blocks from the police station, so her car wouldn’t be seen dropping them off. She didn’t exactly like it. But she grudgingly agreed to skip out on the action. “The bold cutters you asked for are in the trunk.” She said, before giving Ann a huge hug. Joker retrieved them and Ashley drove away.

“She sure was a chatter box tonight.” Ann commented as they walked to a back ally that would take them behind the impound lot. “She’s always like that. You just don’t usually put up with it that long.” Joker replied as they walked. Ann smiled. He was right. Ann had missed her friend. No matter how much she liked to talk.

The impound lot was surrounded by a large and tall chain link fence with barb wire ringed around the top. Joker got to work cutting a hole big enough to enter through. Once it was big enough he pulled the fence apart for her. He kept cutting at the fence, presumably to make a hole large enough for the bike to fit through. Ann set herself to the task of locating the bike. She crept between cars and through the large parking lot until she found it.

It was right next to the guards station. The guard inside looked bored. He reclined in his chair, playing a game on his phone and ignoring the security cameras. Luckily, his back was to the bike. He would have to turn all the way around to see it.

Ann crept up to her bike. Another stroke of luck. Some lazy moron had left the keys in it. Meaning she wouldn’t have to find them in order to start it. She turned the key to unlock the handlebars, but didn’t start the bike. She was still too close to the guard for him to not notice. She took a breath and pulled the bike off the kickstand before slowly heaving it forward and towards the back of the lot.

It was slow and difficult, keeping the bike upright and weaving between cars. She had some close calls, but eventually she got it to the back. Joker looked to have finished cutting the hole. He helped her push it through the fence when she was within view.

Once they had the bike back in the ally, Joker fired it up. It roared to life, the loud thrum of the engine echoing off the narrow walls of the ally. Normally she would let the bike warm up a bit before she drove it. It was just good for the engine. But considering they had just broken it out of the police impound, she decided it would be wise to leave as soon as possible.

Joker apparently shared her thoughts. He threw his leg over the seat and made himself comfortable. She glared at his back. “Oh no. It’s my bike. If anyone is riding bitch, its goinna be you.” She informed him. He just looked at her, waiting for her to come to the conclusion that her argument wasn’t going to work.

“Ugh! Fine!” She yelled after a moment. She folded down the passenger foot pedals and climbed on behind him. He barely waited for her to get a proper hold before he popped the clutch and rode the motorcycle into a wheelie. She screamed and was nearly thrown off the back.

“Jack ass!” She yelled. She couldn’t see his face. But she was certain he was smirking.

Once they were away from immediate danger he picked up speed, going faster and leaning farther around corners than she had ever dared to do. She was hanging on for dear life and trying not to give him the satisfaction of her yelling or screaming. After awhile he eased up. He was still traveling fast. But instead of turning like a crazy person, he began weaving side to side.

He was trying to scare her, she realized, and having fun while he did. Like a teenager on a joy ride. She laughed and actually began enjoying herself.

At the speed they were going, it didn’t take long to reach the cabin. The semi truck had been backed up to the barn and everyone was still unloading the crates of weaponry. Joker parked the motorcycle and turned it off, handing Ann the keys as they dismounted.

They hadn’t taken more than two steps towards the barn when Bozo and Connor came running up, both of them jabbering non stop. Ann could only make out pieces of what the pair were saying. But Bozo seemed intent on telling Joker exactly how he tried to stop her from doing something stupid, while Connor was more focused on making sure she was okay.

Joker listened for all of ten seconds before turning and walking away, wanting nothing to do with it. At his leaving, the pair seemed to quiet down. Ann followed Joker to the barn to see that almost everything had been unloaded. Devon was doing a last minute count of everything, trying to keep it somewhat organized. When he noticed her, he found the hard plastic case with her rifle and the box of ammo she had left in the van and gave them to her.

Ann was excited to shoot the rifle. But it would have to wait till daylight. So she took the rifle and ammo back to her bedroom she shared with Joker and leaned the case up in the empty closet.

She just had one more thing to do before everyone packed into the living room to booze out and watch tv. She needed to talk to Connor.

Heading back downstairs, she reached the porch just as everyone was walking up the steps to come inside, their work for the day apparently finished. Joker and Devon were the only two absent from the group. Ann assumed they were still in the barn. Connor was looking sullen and exhausted at the back of the group.

Ann waited until everyone else had passed by her and grabbed Connor by the arm the second no one was looking. He gave her a surprised look, but she shushed him and dragged him around to the back of the house.

By the time they were on the other side of the house, poor Connor was looking like a scared rabbit that was about to be shot.

“I need a favor.” Ann told him quietly. He looked at her skeptically. “What kind of favor?” He asked, clearly suspicious.

“Remember that half a million I promised Crane for information?” She asked. He nodded. “Well I need your help to get it.” She confessed. He backed up a few steps.

“Hold on. Are you asking me to help you rob a bank or something?” he asked. “Why don’t you talk to Joker?”

“Joker can’t know about this.” She admitted. “The information I’m buying from Crane is information that might have a lot to do with him.” She explained.

“Look, whatever it is, this information your looking for, if its about Joker why don’t you just ask him?” Connor questioned.

“It’s not that simple. I have a hunch that whatever it is, it has a lot to do with me also. And I’ve already tried. His answers just lead me to more questions. He takes the conversation in circles then finds a distraction.”

“And I’m the only one you can ask for help, because I’m the only one here that was your friend before I accidentally became one of his thugs.” He guessed. Ann nodded.

He sighed. “Alright. Who are we robbing?” He asked grudgingly. Ann smiled. “We're robbing me.”

 

* * *

 

It was 7:00 in the morning. Everyone was sound asleep, including Joker. Ann had set an alarm on her phone to wake her up by vibrating. She had slept on it so it would wake her and not Joker. She slowly extricated herself from the covers, being careful not to pull on them or move the bed too much. She knew from experience he was a very light sleeper.

Ann grabbed the clothes she had stuffed under the bed the night before and silently crept to the bathroom to get dressed. She grabbed her M16 and her pistols as she went out the door, careful to close it quietly.

Once she was downstairs she felt more at ease. She strapped on her pistol harness and made sure her the guns were loaded before fitting them in the holsters. Connor appeared a few minutes later. She handed him her M16 and a box of ammo. He loaded two clips for the weapon and popped one into the gun itself, checking that the safety was on.

They exited the house quietly and went to her motorcycle. It was her only means of transportation. Luckily, Joker had parked it by the barn, a fair distance away from the actual house. So the chances of waking someone up when it started were slim.

Ann started the bike and got on. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a helmet. So she would just have to go slower and deal with her eyes being watery in the wind.

Connor looked less than pleased, but he got on the bike behind her anyway and they drove off. If everything went according to plan, Joker would never even know they had left.

Ann quickly realized that driving fast wasn’t an option without something to protect her eyes from the wind. She managed to keep the bike up to 45 miles an hour. But that was the limit for her eyes. And even that was hard. Any faster and she could barely keep her eyes open.

Their first stop was a walmart that was just inside the city limits. Ann hated it, but she had to send Connor in for the things they needed. Two pairs of sunglasses, so they could see, a large backpack and a duffle bag, and a fake blonde wig purchased from the hair salon inside the store.

Connor returned after only a few minutes with the requested items and they got back on the road. Their target was a bank truck that would be arriving at Nightshade at 8:30. The plan was to park nearby and wait for the security guards, usually teams of two or three, to bring out the cash that was scheduled to be ferried to the bank. Ann had no way of knowing how much cash would be in the truck, but she knew other corporations used the same truck for their cash as well. It was just lucky that today was the one day a week the truck made its rounds.

They arrived at Nightshade and Ann pulled around to the delivery entrance. There was a number of cars parked in the small lot between buildings that some of the employees favored. Ann backed her motorcycle in between two cars and they got off the bike to wait. Ann put on her wig.

They didn’t have to wait long. The truck pulled up not long after they arrived. It was a team of two today. Another stroke of luck. Ann waited until the passenger left the truck and went inside the back entrance of the building.

“Alright. We have about five minutes. Lets go.” She told Connor, handing him one of her pistols. She left her M16 strapped to her back where it wouldn’t be seen.

Once they neared the truck, Connor grabbed her arm and dragged her in front of the truck, the pistol to her head. Ann played the perfect hostage victim, crying and begging to be released. The driver of the truck looked stunned. He reached for the alarm button. Connor shoved the gun against her head in a show of force and the truck drive raised his hands grudgingly.

Connor motioned for the man to open the door. He hesitated, but after a moment of indecision he complied and stepped out of the truck. Connor immediately pistol whipped him, knocking him out cold. They shoved the poor man back into the truck and positioned him to sit like he normally would be before climbing in the cab with him.

They were barely situated when the second man returned and motioned for his partner to hit the button that would unlock the doors to the back. Ann hit the button and the man, oblivious to what was going on, opened the back doors.

Ann and Connor slipped out the passenger door of the cab and snuck around the back where the guard was loading the metal boxes of cash into the back. They completely blindsided him and he was unconscious a moment later. They dragged him inside the back of the truck and pulled the doors so they were shut, but not latched. Then they got busy opening the money boxes and dumping the cash into the backpack and duffle bag. Once the bags could hold no more then exited the truck and ran back to Ann’s motorcycle.

Connor wore the backpack and held the duffle bag in his lap while Ann drove. Ann hopped onto one of the major highways and they were gone. She couldn’t believe how easy it had been. No alarm had been tripped. No one got hurt. They got the money they needed without a bullet fired. She didn’t know how much cash the two bags would hold. She just hoped they had gotten enough, because that hostage trick with the guard certainly wouldn’t work a second time.

They made it out of the city and back to the cabin without incident, which was a miracle itself with the way Ann’s luck had been lately. She parked the bike where it had been and they snuck back into the house. It was just after 9:30 am. Everyone, still on their night schedule, was still asleep.

Connor returned to his room to sleep until the afternoon and Ann snuck back into the bedroom with Joker. Quiet as a mouse, she shoved the bags of cash under her side of the bed and stripped her clothes off before climbing back under the covers.

Ann laid there a moment, still in shock that everything had gone so smoothly. She still had the matter of counting the money, which would take some care. She would need to have time when no one would walk in on her, namely Joker. She could just imagine his surprise if he opened the door and found her sitting among piles of cash.

“Where have you been, lil Shadow?” Joker asked beside her. She nearly jumped out of her skin. “Oh. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up. I just went for a drive.” She explained, hoping he wouldn’t question it farther. He rolled over and pulled her against him. Snuggling up in his embrace she re-adjusted her position to get comfortable.

“You shouldn’t go out alone. Wake me up next time.” He whispered against her neck. She nodded. “Okay.” “Get some sleep. Big day tomorrow.” She sighed in relief before letting herself drift off.


End file.
